All Alone?
by GuardianOfEcosystems
Summary: Zoey, Chase and their friends wake up one day to find that overnight most of humanity has mysteriously vanished without a trace leaving only a few survivors including them. Can they figure out why? Can they learn to survive in this new reality? What will this mean for Zoey and Chase? Will their relationship hold out? Pairings: Chase and Zoey, Lola and Vince, Quinn and Logan.
1. The Disappearance

**All Alone?**

**Chapter One: the Discovery**

Zoey Brooks sat up in bed and yawned rubbing her eyes. She was wearing a pair of pink pajama pants and a ragged old T shirt. Her two roommates, Quinn Pesky and Lola Martinez lay asleep in the bunked across the room. Throwing back the covers, she glanced at the clock and started. The digital display read 11: 30. How had they slept for so long? It was a Saturday so luckily they had no classes but their friends were bound to be wondering where the trio were.

Chase would be especially worried. She smiled to herself as she thought of her best friend turned boyfriend, Chase Matthews. Last night, the senior PCA prom dance had seemed like a dream. Chase had returned from England and was back at PCA where he belonged. He was back and here to stay.

Shaking her head, she called to her roommates "Lola! Quinn! Wake up its late!" The pair started awake. "What time is it?" Lola asked her "Its 11:30!" She replied. Quinn's eyes flew open "What? How did we manage to stay asleep until so late?" "I don't know but let's get up!" The two nodded and scrambled out of bed. They hurriedly washed their faces in the dorm bathroom, brushed their teeth and changed into suitable clothes. Lola sprayed herself with deodorant, Quinn grabbed her glasses and Zoey quickly blow dried her hair.

Now ready, the trio exited their room and hurried out of their dorm, Fulton Hall. But as they finally emerged from their dorm, a surprising and eerie scene greeted them. The campus grounds were silent and empty. The lawns seemed deserted. There was no movement. Only the trickling of streams of water from a nearby fountain broke the silence. It was nearly deafening.

"Where is everyone?" Lola demanded. Zoey shook her head "I don't know." She said slowly. This was beginning to creep her out. "Well they must all be somewhere!" Quinn insisted. She cupped her hands around her mouth "Hello? Anyone? You can come out now!" Silence ensued. She tried again "This isn't funny guys!" This time Zoey tried "Hello? Is anyone out there?"

No one answered "Okay…this is beginning to get slightly weird…"Lola said. Zoey and Quinn nodded. "Everyone can't have just vanished!" Quinn stated in frustration "It's scientifically impossible!" "Well everyone clearly has gone somewhere."

"Maybe everyone's gone on a field trip?" Lola suggested "There's no way everyone on campus would go on one trip." Zoey replied "Multiple trips then?" "We would have heard about it" Quinn replied. "Perhaps it's a mass prank?" she suggested. "Well if it is then it's not funny. Come on." Zoey said and turned to re-enter her dorm.

"Where are you going?" Lola asked as the two followed her. "To find out what's going on." She replied. The trio walked back down the hallway. Zoey knocked on the first door they passed "Open up now!" She demanded. The door creaked open and the trio walked in. The room was empty. The beds were messy with blankets and pillows crumpled, clothes lying around and the desk covered in clutter.

"Okay then let's try the next room." Zoey decided. They exited and headed across, the next room's door stood ajar and they looked inside. The room was also messy meaning it was occupied but it was also vacant. The next two rooms proved to be locked. By now Zoey was becoming frustrated. "Okay there must be at least one room in this dorm that's still got someone inside!"

Suddenly the group heard noises "Wait listen!" Lola, grabbing Quinn's arm said. The trio paused and listened out. The noises came again. "What is it?" Zoey asked. "SSSH!" The pair replied straining to hear. The sound came again. This time it was clear, they were human voices shouting. "It sounds like the guys! Quinn said, her voice wavering with excitement. "What are we waiting for?!" Zoey demanded and the trio took off running in the direction of the voices.

They raced down the hallway, burst out of their dorm and began shouting their friend's names. " Hey Michael!" Lola called. "Logan!" Quinn yelled "Chase? Where are you?! Zoey shouted. Then a reply sounded off in the distance "Zoey! Zoey we're over here!" It was Chase shouting "Where?" "Follow my voice!" The voice ordered. The trio took off running as Chase shouted "Follow my voice! You can do it Zoe! You can do it!"

The trio ran across a field and passed the parked coffee carts before at last they spotted three tiny yet distinct figures standing under a tall oak tree waving and shouting. "It's them!" Lola cried grinning." Logan!" Quinn shouted, smiling. Zoey smirked "Come on you two!" They ran towards their friends and the trio ran towards them until the two groups met in the centre of the playing field.

"Zoey!" "Chase!" The two collided and embraced tightly. Their lips collided. She wrapped her arms around him and he wrapped his arms around her back. Their kiss deepened. Their tongues battled for dominance as Zoey began gently running her right hand through his bushy tangle of hair. "Hey, you two lovebirds! Cut it out!" Logan shouted, rudely interrupting their moment.

The two pulled apart and looked flushed as they noticed their friends watching them with expressions ranging from anger to amusement. "S- So um..." Chase began, blushing "Have you guys noticed what happened?" Quinn nodded"We woke up really late and after getting dressed we went outside and there was nobody there." "We checked almost all the rooms in our dorm but they were all empty." "Wait we didn't!" Logan cried. He looked at his two roommates "Maybe there are still people inside?"

"Dude don't you think they would of heard us shouting and banging on the doors?" Michael said. "Well it's worth a try." He retorted "Right girls?" Zoey and Lola looked reluctantly at each other "As much it kills me to admit it, Logan's right." Zoey said and he smirked. Chase rolled his eyes "Alright we'll go check out our dorm. Girls why don't you go see if you can find Dean Rivers?"

Quinn nodded "That does sound like a good plan. Zoey nodded "Ok we'll do it. Meet back here in thirty minutes." Everyone nodded and they split into two groups. "See you in a bit Zoe." Chase said smiling. Zoey smiled back. Logan and Michael shared a frustrated look before dragging their bushy-haired friend away as he struggled and protested. Zoey smiled despite herself before following Lola and Quinn.

Upon arriving at their dorm, the group heard strange noises. They all halted. The noises were snuffling and thudding and short howls. Michael paused "Alright I know those aren't human sounds." Logan nodded "So what do we do?" Before Chase could reply, a small figure appeared behind the glass-paneled doors of their dorm. "Guys look out!" Logan yelled and the group backed away. Suddenly the doors flew open and a familiar figure came into view.

A small dog with short legs scampered into view. Scruffy white fur with brown patches covered its wiry coat. Spotting them it yelped, wagging its tail. Chase grinned. He immediately recognized the dog "Elvis!" He said happily and leaned down to greet the animal. He petted the dog as it barked and licked his hands. The dog jumped at him. Laughing, he tickled its stomach as it rolled over onto its back.

"Is that Elvis?" Michael questioned looking confused. Logan simply rolled his eyes "Well great we found your dog. Hurrah!" He said sarcastically. Chase scooped the dog up into his arms, rose and scowled at his friend "Hey! Elvis means a lot to Michael and me!" The other boy nodded in agreement.

Lola, Quinn and Zoey walked up to the concrete building that housed Dean River's office. They pushed open the double doors and stepped into the lobby. The spot behind the polished wooden desk stood empty. There was no sign of his secretary. The three shared anxious looks. This was really beginning to worry them. They walked up to the oak door of the office. Zoey knocked on it but there was no reply.

Hesitantly, she pushed the door open and they stepped through into the office. The plush spiral chair behind the wooden desk stood empty. There was no sign of Dean Rivers. Quinn sighed "I guess this means Dean Rivers is gone too." The other two nodded sadly. Zoey sighed "I guess we should go back to wait for the guys. The three trudged out of the office and left the building.

However as they walked across campus, a voice called out to them "Lola!" The brunette turned and her eyes lit up as a familiar figure sprinted over to them "Oh my god, Vince!" Zoey and Quinn turned as the dashing football enthusiast sprinted up and Lola threw her arms around him. The two shared a long kiss. Zoey recognized the passion behind it. Fear at the thought of losing a loved one turned to joy at finding them. It was the same way she'd felt when she'd kissed Chase this morning.

Her worry and fear of losing him turned in joy when they finally met up. "Oh my god Vince I thought I'd lost you!" "I know I thought you were gone?"

He turned as if noticing Quinn and Zoey for the first time "Zoey! Quinn! You guys are here too!" The pair nodded "It's good to see you" Zoey said and Quinn nodded. The football player nodded "Hey have you guys found anyone else yet?" Quinn nodded "Chase, Michael and Logey are still here." Vince looked confused "Who's Logey?" Zoey rolled her eyes "She means Logan Reece."

Then he nodded his understanding "So where are they?" "They went back to search their dorm hall for other people. We already searched our dorm. There was no-one there except us." Vince nodded "I know! I searched my dorm too but I was the only one there. Do you know where everyone is?" Zoey shook her head and his shoulders slumped. There was a general feeling of disappointment among the group.

Just then a voice called out "Zoey?!" She blonde haired girl turned and her eyes widened "Dustin?" The others turned in surprise as Zoey's younger brother walked up the crest of a nearby hill. "Zoey1" He cried happily. "Dustin!" She replied with evident relief in her voice. The younger boy sprinted over to them and ran into his sister's arms. She hugged him tightly and kissed the top of his head "Dustin! Thank god you're okay!" "I was so worried. I thought I was never going to see you again!" He murmured into her shirt.

"It's okay. You're okay." She said soothingly. He pulled away and gazed up at her then his cheeks burned slightly as he noticed the others watching the pair. "Hey Lola. Hey Quinn. Hi Vince." The trio nodded back.

"Hey Dustin!" "What's up?" "How are you doing?" Vince slapped him across the back in a friendly manner. "Yeah I'm good." He replied. Dustin turned to his sister "I'm sorry." He said gently. She looked confused "For what?" "About Chase. He's gone too isn't he?" She shook her head "No he's still here. So are Logan and Michael." As this, he brightened "Oh well that's good. I like Chase. His hair is cool, Michael's pretty nice and Logan's okay I guess." "Where have they gone?" "They went to search their dorm for other people." "Oh ok."

Just then, the group heard barking and a furry white dog ran up. "Hey isn't that Chase's dog?" Lola said. Zoey frowned "Yeah it is." She walked over and crouched down to pat Elvis. "What's he doing here?!" Quinn asked "He got out of my room when I went looking for you. He just took off. I think he went to find Chase." Dustin explained as the others walked over.

"Well then why isn't he with the guys?" Vince asked, holding hands with Lola. Just then a horribly thought hit the group. "You don't think…" Lola trailed off. Quinn swallowed hard "Maybe they've disappeared too." She whispered. Zoey's eyes widened "No. No way am I not letting that happen to Chase." She stood up and sprinted off towards the male dorm halls shouting Chase's name.

"Zoey wait!" Lola shouted. She and Vince raced after their friend. Quinn hurriedly scooped up the dog and followed.

Back near their dorm hall; Chase, Michael and Logan sat at a wooden picnic table debating. "You were supposed to be watching him!" "No he was tied up next to you!" Michael argued. Chase sat with his head in his hands. Elvis had run away. They had tied the dog's leash to the one of the four legs of the circular table but while they sat waiting for the girls, the dog had slipped free and run off.

All Chase wanted to do was start looking for the dog as soon as possible but as usual; Michael and Logan had decided to start another argument about whose fault it was that Elvis had run off. They had been about to go out looking for their dog when Logan angrily pushed Michael and blamed him for the dog's disappearance. Now nearly ten minutes later, they were still arguing about it.

It had gone on for so long that they had become tired of standing and angrily sat down whilst shouting insults at each other. Chase had attempted to intervene several times but as usual he had been ignored by his two friends. Now he sat, grinding his teeth with his head supported in his hands wishing he could bang his head on the table repeatedly.

Just then Zoey jogged into view. She looked sweaty and tired. As soon as she spotted them, she ran up and threw her arms around the bushy haired teenager nearly knocking him off his chair. Surprised he hugged her back. "Wow! Hey Zoey. What's up?!" "I thought you might have gone too." "Why would I go?" "We found Elvis and thought since he wasn't with you something might have happened to you guys." She turned to Michael and Logan grinning "But you're all ok."

This caught their attention "Wait you found Elvis?" Michael asked. She nodded. "Well hand him over!" He said eagerly. She laughed "Okay! Lola, Quinn, Dustin and Vince are coming over with him." "Wait you found Dustin?" Chase asked. She nodded "Yeah he was confused and scared and said he was missing me. It was really sweet." Michael snickered and she glared at him. He quickly put on a deadpanned expression. "Well that's cool. "Logan said. Michael and Chase nodded.

Dustin was a good kid and a true friend to all of them. He had the right amount of respect for each of them. They were relieved to hear that he was okay. "And you found Vince too?" Chase asked. "Zoey nodded. They guys all grinned. Vince had become as good friend to each of them and they regularly hung out together. The bad memories of the past had been replaced and they were glad to hear their good friend was still okay.

Just then Elvis raced up barking. He jumped onto Michael's lap. "Hey Elvis!" He patted the dog. Chase leaned over and also stroked the dog's back. "Good to see you Elvis." Just then Dustin sprinted over and slowed as he approached "Hey guys." "Hey Dustin." Chase said. "What's up kid?" Logan greeted "Good to see you man!" The boy grinned at all the attention he was receiving.

Just then Lola and Vince strode up holding hands "Good to see you guys are okay." Lola said and Logan grinned. Vince smiled at them "Hey Vince" "Cool man." You good/" "Yeah I'm ok." He replied. Lastly, Quinn walked up and gave Logan a kiss. He smirked at her as she stood by him. "Right now that everyone's here. We need to decide what to do next." Zoey said. The others all nodded "Any suggestions?"

"I think we need to search every building and place on the campus to look for anyone else. If we don't find anyone else on campus then we leave PCA to search the city. What happened here might have affected the city as well. If we don't find anyone we re-think our plan." Lola said. Everyone considered the plan and nodded "I agree" Chase said. Michael and Logan nodded. "That's a really good plan." Zoey said and Quinn agreed Lola smirked "Well I am amazing." "Yes you are." Vince agreed and the pair kissed

"Alright we'll split into groups. There will be two people in each group. Chase and me, Lola and Vince, Quinn and Logan and Michael you take Elvis." Michael frowned but said nothing. Everyone else nodded, pleased with Zoey's arrangement. The couples winked and smirked at one another. Lola and Vince held hands and walked off. Logan and Quinn kissed and headed off, walking close together. Michael gave Chase a high five, then grabbed Elvis' leash then tied it to his collar and headed off with the dog looking slightly miserable.

Chase glanced at his retreating friend "Poor Michael. He's been sad ever since he split up with Lisa." Zoey nodded and bit her lip "We need to find someone for him otherwise it's just not fair." Chase nodded "So what do you say Miss Brooks shall we head off?" She smiled "Lead the way Mr. Matthews" Grinning, he took her hand and they walked off.

Several hours later, the exhausted and dejected group gathered outside the girls' dorm halls. They had searched every building on campus including the classrooms, the dorm, rooms, the gymnasium, the cafeteria, the lunch hall, the staff meeting room, the janitor closets, the storage rooms, Dean River's office, the infirmary and all the playing fields on the campus. They had found no-one. They were the only ones left at PCA. The light-hearted mood of the morning had faded. They were tired, confused and very hungry but didn't know what to do.

There was no-one in the lunch hall to prepare and serve their food. There was no one around they could ask and they felt too uneasy to sleep. Now they were gathered in the student lounge sitting in armchairs or on the sofa in silence, lost in their thoughts. Michael seemed especially morose. He sat in a corner staring at the wall. Elvis lay asleep beside him. Zoey finally broke the silence

"So what do we do now?" "I say we leave PCA" Lola said. Logan gawked at her "Are you crazy? We can't leave PCA?!" "Why not?" Chase asked. "Well we don't know what's happened here. What if it hasn't affected the city? If we leave the campus we'll be arrested by the police and brought back by force." "Yes and that's good. Then they'll see the campus is empty and help us out." Zoey said and everyone else nodded. Logan floundered

"Well what if it has affected the city? Then leaving PCA is pointless." "Yes but in the city there will be restaurants and shops where we can get food and bottled water. We can use our phones or the street phones to call for help." Chase explained "Well we can call for help from here!" Logan retorted. Zoey shook her head.

"The reception will be much better in the city centre." Quinn nodded "I'm sorry but he's right." Upon hearing his girlfriend's opinion, Logan gave in and nodded "All right. Let's go." The group all stood up but as they turned to leave Chase and Logan noticed Michael hadn't moved "Hey Michael." Logan said. The teenager raised his head "Come on man." He nodded "Yeah cool. "He stood up and tugged on Elvis' leash "Come on boy." The dog awoke, got up and trotted alongside the teenager as they followed the group out. Chase walked beside his friend "You okay man?" He asked.

The teenager turned and forced a smile "Yeah course man! Just tired that's all. Now why don't you go talk to Zoey? I bet she's missing you dude!" He said in an upbeat tone. Chase sighed "Alright." He moved towards the front of the group and took Zoey's hand "How's Michael/" She whispered. "See for yourself." He whispered back. They both looked to the back of the group. Their friend trudged along with head down and shoulders hunched. He was clearly depressed. Elvis trotted alongside him as he loosely held the dog's leash.

They left the student lounge and down the winding path to the massive iron-barred gates at the edge of campus. Normally, the huge gates were electronically sealed shut but now they slowly creaked open when Chase and Vince pulled. The group exchanged glances. This wasn't good. Dean Rivers would never have left the PCA campus open and unguarded. They walked out and immediately noticed a difference.

An eerie scene greeted them beyond the PCA campus. The streets were deserted and silent. There were no people walking on the streets and no people in the shops. The roads were a scene of chaos. Smashed cars lay crumpled against trees. Other cars had driven off the road and crashed through shop doors or display windows. Broken glass covered the crumpled vehicles. Other cars lay abandoned or overturned. Broken glass and pieces of metal lay strewn along the highway. Several cars sat as burned-out wrecks after catching fire.

Wisps of smoke still wafted from two of the burned-out vehicles. The pavements were empty and silent. The roads were deserted. The shops and stores were dark and shut. The apartments across the street were clearly vacant.

The office towers and skyscrapers stood deserted. The only cars on the road that had not caught fire or crashed stood parked and empty. The buildings and houses all across the city were all glowing due to the lights from signs, televisions, computers, phones, laptops, lights, washing machines and thousands of other electrical devices but it was not the same in a silent city.

A desolate silence hung in the air. Normally there would be all kinds of sounds; people talking, joking or shouting, children laughing or playing, traffic passing and horns honking, cell phones ringing, babies crying. Now all was silent except for a few dogs barking in the distance. Elvis barked back and this snapped the group out of their shocked silence.

"Oh my god..." Zoey whispered fearfully. Chase tightened his grip on her hand "Oh man look at those cars…" Logan commented cringing. "What the hell happened here?!" Vince demanded, gesturing to the eerie scene. "The damage done is awful." Quinn commented looking shocked. Lola winced "What happened to the people in those cars?" "Where is everyone?" Dustin cried, echoing the question on everyone's minds. Only Michael remained silent yet his face bore an expression of disbelief.

One thing was absolutely crystal clear straight away. There were no people here. They had also all disappeared. If there were people anywhere they would have done something about the chaos and the mess. The entire city was completely deserted. They were, once again, all alone. "Well at least we know one thing…" Zoey said quietly. Everyone turned to her. "What do we know?" Lola asked. "It was no normal incident that caused this" Her friends shot her confused looks

"Think about it. Animals are somehow unaffected. Elvis is just fine. Those dogs in the city seem fine and I'm sure all the other pets and the zoo animals are all ok. There were birds in the trees back at PCA just as usual. This "whatever it is" only affects people. Human beings. Animals are left unaffected and don't even notice. That means it can't be a natural disaster like an earthquake or a hurricane or a cosmological disaster like an asteroid strike or a blast of solar radiation. It's something that only targets humans."

Everyone began nodding as understanding and realization dawned on their faces. "Like an illness!" Quinn exclaimed. Zoey nodded "Exactly." "But if it's an illness why are we unaffected?" Lola asked. Zoey shrugged "I dunno." "We may have a natural immunity to the disease or perhaps we were simply lucky or maybe we did not encounter it and everyone else did." "Everyone else in the entire city?" Vince asked." The aspiring young scientist nodded "It is possible." Everyone nodded. It was a radical and awful new theory but right now it made sense so they had to think that an illness had led to the disappearance of everybody else in the region.

"Then –then does that mean everyone else in the city is, is you know….dead?" Chase stuttered, cringing as he said so. He glanced at his friends Expressions of shock, grief and horror dawned on their faces as the thought hit them. At last Quinn nodded grimly "I am afraid so. It's the only explanation." She whispered. Then she began to cry quietly. Logan pulled her into his arms and held fragile form with a solemn look upon his face. Lola and Vince simply stood with ashen faces of grief. They weren't crying but their faces showed their true sadness and they tightly held onto each other's hands for comfort and reassurance.

Dustin looked about ready top cry. His face was ashen. Zoey walked over and wrapped her arms around him as he trembled and wept into her shirt. She kissed the top of his head gently and stood with a look of grief and misery on her face. She was holding her emotions in for her brother's sake. He needed her now. Michael simply stood with an expression of sorrow on his face.


	2. The New Reality

**Chapter Two: Taking a Look Around**

The next morning, Zoey suddenly awoke to find herself lying in a bed that was not her own. Another sweeping glance revealed she was not even lying on a bed. Confused and disorientated, she raised herself up and discovered she was draped on a sofa in the living room of a suburban home. Her movement was restricted by an arm across her midsection. Turning, she found Chase slouched on the sofa beside her. His eyes lay closed and his breathing remained soft and steady. He was still asleep. As her vision slowly cleared, she gazed around the room and spotted each of her friends lying asleep on the carpeted floor or slumped in armchairs. They were still asleep. Quinn and Logan slept leaning against one another whilst Lola slept soundly against Vince's chest whilst his arm lay around her shoulders. Dustin sat back in an armchair with closed eyes and snoring lightly.

Unusually, Michael lay slumped against the open door in a highly unusual position yet had still managed to fall into a deep slumber. Chase's terrier dog sat beside the sleeping teenager. The dog gazed back at her and whined. She quickly pressed a finger to her lips, not wanting to disturb her friends. The terrier sat back and fell silent. The heavy curtains were still closed and the room was unusually dark. Suddenly, the previous day's events flooded her foggy mind and memories flashed before her eyes in rapid succession like a speeding locomotive train. Her confusion faded and was replaced by sadness.

Just then Chase's eyes flicked open and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He turned to her and spotted her expression. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Zoey it'll be ok. We'll get through this tough time. I promise." He smiled at her and she managed a small smile in return. Once everyone was up and awake, they gathered to plan their next move. "I say we split up into pairs and cover as much ground as possible and try to look for other people." Lola suggested. Vince, Michael and Chase nodded. "But wait I'm starving!" Logan interjected. Zoey turned to him "And your point is?" She asked. Her grumbling stomach reminded her of her own hunger pangs but loyalty to her friend overcame basic instinct.

"So, I say we should get some food first otherwise we'll be too tired to look for very long." "Yeah but we might not have enough time to search the entire city if we get food first." Zoey argued, "I hate to say it but Logan's right." Michael admitted. Logan smiled whilst Chase scowled at his friend "It's true! I'm not looking for anyone until I get a decent meal. Come on, y'all must be hungry too."

At this, everyone looked at one another and murmurs of agreement echoed. "Alright, first we'll go out and buy food, then we'll split up and start looking around." Chase proposed and everyone nodded satisfied with the plan. "Wait what about your dog?" Lola asked. Chase shrugged "We'll buy dog food for him from a shop somewhere" "If we can't find one we'll just give him bits of our food." Michael said.

With a plan now at hand, they all filed out of the room and left the house. As they headed for the front entrance, Zoey wondered how they had broken into the house. Then they spotted the splintered door teetering off its hinges and she cringed. "Wow!" Dustin whistled. He was clearly impressed. Logan smirked and flexed his muscles. "Oh yeah baby, check it out." Quinn rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand "Let's go." The group filed out with Michael at the rear as always, leading Elvis on the leash.

At they strode down the streets they noticed most of the deserted automobiles had fallen silent. Last night, car and burglar alarms had been wailing across the entire city but now only silence remained. The batteries that powered the alarms had failed. One of the last sounds that represented mankind had fallen silent forever. Also, many of the crashed vehicles had burned out. The wildfires had flickered out and now cars sat as hollow wrecks. The lights from shop signs and billboards were still on and many of the office towers, houses and buildings across the city were still lit up, providing an artificial glow that hung over the city. The sounds of pet dogs and cats were the only ones to break the silence. "Man, those dogs are annoying." Logan complained. Elvis tensed and growled at him. "No offence." He said quickly. Pacified, the terrier wagged its tail. Chase smirked despite the wall of silence

Eventually, they found a takeaway shop. They peered through the shop windows and gazed at the kebabs, burgers and pizzas displayed in the ovens. Zoey's stomach growled and she flushed with embarrassment. "Looks like someone's hungry." Vince commented "Don't pretend you're not." She shot back playfully. He smirked. Then he turned around and launched a powerful kick, slamming his foot into the door. The metal door held firm but the glass in the windows shattered from the blow. Lola kissed him joyfully "I know you were strong but not that strong." Michael commented, impressed. He merely grinned as Lola pulled away." I try."

They climbed in through the window frames and began grabbing kebabs and burgers. They began tearing into the food and for several minutes no-one spoke as they savored the mouth-watering flavor." Mm." "That's good…" "I needed that." Once everyone was finished, they glanced around at one another "Man that was satisfying." Logan commented and rubbed his stomach. "Yeah but now I'm thirsty." Chase complained. Logan rolled his eyes whilst Michael smirked. "No he's got a point though." Zoey said "ha." "If we don't find water soon we'll all start suffering from dehydration."

"And why would we not find water?" Logan asked. "All we have to do is turn on a tap and voila, water." Quinn shook her head "I'm afraid, not for much longer baby." He turned to her "What do you mean?" "Uh I think she means the taps will run dry." Michael said. Logan scoffed "Get real. Taps don't just dry up." "They do if the power fails. The water in all the taps in all the buildings is pumped from reservoirs outside the city. If the electricity shuts down, the water stops flowing." Zoey explained. Quinn nodded gravely. Everyone looked worried. "W-well yeah but why would the power fail?" Logan argued. "Well how about because there's no one to run the power stations?" Chase suggested.

Logan sneered and folded his arms defensively. "That's not going to happen." As soon as he finished speaking, the overhead lights flickered and failed. The ovens went dark and the heat gradually subsided. The shop fell into darkness. The hum of the air conditioning gave way to the sound of birdsong. Everyone began looking around. 'Looks like you spoke too soon.' Vince commented. Logan sneered at him but he too looked worried. 'Why did the power fail?' Dustin asked. He hadn't yet grasped the seriousness of the situation and was more confused than concerned. There was no reply to his question.

'All the electricity in the city and on the campus in generated by huge power stations with industrial ovens that burn constantly all day, every day. The ovens require a steady supply of coal to keep the fires burning. But now there are no more deliveries' Quinn explained. 'Well, why not?' Michael asked. "The coal is delivered by cargo trains. There are no more people so all the delivery trains have crashed and derailed or just ground to a halt. The coal deliveries haven't reached the power stations so the ovens have run of fuel and the power stations have failed."

"Hey guys look" Chase muttered. They all turned to see him gazing out of the window upon a chilling scene. All the buildings across the city were going dark. Lights flickered out and cooling systems failed. The shops across the street went dark.

The glowing office towers were now pitch-black inside. Homes across the city were now dark. For a few moments, even the birdsong ceased. The entire universe seemed to have gone silent. Then the birdsong began again, Elvis yapped whilst neighborhood dogs began barking again. But, these normal sounds no longer held the same effect in a darkened city.

The true gravity of their situation dawned. Everyone was still shifting about in a state of shock. They had all experienced blackouts before but this one was the most ominous of all. Despite the power failing during daylight hours, it still frightened them because they knew this time the power would never come back and this blackout seemed to span the entire city.

"What are we gonna do?" Lola murmured. But no answer came to mind. Zoey shook herself "Ok let's not panic. We need to stockpile as much food and bottled water as we can. Lola, you and Vince get bread, rice and tinned food. Quinn, you and Logan find biscuits, cakes and stuff like that. Chase and I will go find bottled water and Michael; you take Dustin and go find food for the dog. Ok let's go." Now that everyone had a role, they split up into their pairs and set off wishing each other luck on their tasks. Once everyone had gone, Zoey turned to Chase with a smile. "Let's go." He grinned at her "Gladly Miss Brooks." He took her hand and they headed out into the sunlight and up the street to find as much bottled water as they could carry.

As the pair headed up the street, a rottweiler dog trotted past across the street. The dog spotted them and its ears pricked up. The animal barked angrily, tongue lolling out. A collar sat around its neck trailing a red leash. This dog was obviously an escaped pet. "Uh, that dog doesn't look too happy to see us" Chase said and tightened his grip on Zoey's hand. She nodded, fought down her panic, and they quickly turned and headed the opposite way. They began hiking down the street casting occasional glances backwards. The dog had gone off. "It's gone." Chase said, Zoey turned and they both sighed with relief, they then began heading back up the street, talking and laughing along the way.

They soon stumbled into a shop and edged around the counter to a small mini-fridge behind it. The fridge was dark because although it was plugged into the wall-mounted socket, there was no longer electricity flowing through the cables. Grinning sneakily whilst Zoey's back was turned; Chase reached out and touched one of the cables. "AAAAHHHHH!" He screamed shuddering violently as Zoey spun round.

Her eyes widened with horror. She covered her mouth "Chase!" She screamed. He suddenly stopped convulsing, turned and smirked at her. "Got you." She scowled and slapped his arm "Chase, that wasn't funny. You really scared me." She turned away.

His smile dropped." Zoey, come on I'm really sorry. She ignored him and opened the glass-lined fridge door. "Zoey please I'm sorry." He said, desperate to get her attention. At last she turned and looked at him "Do you promise no more jokes?" "Cross my heart." He swore solemnly. She sighed "Well alright then." He grinned and she kissed him on the cheek "Now start collecting water." She ordered. "Yes ma'am." He gave a mocking salute before grabbing bottles of water. Smiling, she did the same and they continued in a surprisingly pleasant silence.

Lola and Vince strode down the street holding hands. As they did, a ginger cat suddenly darted past and they both started. Lola screamed "Oh my god!" "You okay?" Vince asked her. She nodded "Yeah that cat scared me." He smiled "Hey its okay I'll protect you." She rolled her eyes and tugged on his hand "Let's go you muscly hero." He followed, smirking and they walked into a shop. They both cringed as a black cat mewed at them and arched its back from atop the shelves. Lola shuddered "I hate cats. I just hate them." "Aww its ok baby." Vince said, wrapping his arms around her. He shouted at the cat. Its eyes narrowed as it jumped off the shelf and it retreated. She rolled her eyes and they kissed. He smirked and they began picking through the shelves picking out tinned meat, tinned fruit and packets of bread.

Meanwhile, Quinn and Logan were rifling through the shelves in a supermarket. The supermarket was dark and dingy and already fresh produce was producing smells and beginning to decompose. The fresh meats were turning green and stinking. The vegetables and fruits were stinking and developing black spots whilst the cheese was turning green and the milk was curdling inside the cartons. Flies were swarming over the fruits and vegetables whilst blowflies and maggots devoured the decomposing meat. Rats were scurrying around the shop and Logan had screamed when a rat ran past him. Ironically, Quinn had saved him by chasing the rat off.

The rats and mice wouldn't stay here for long because soon this buffet would dry up. When the food in the supermarket was finished, the rodents would have to abandon the supermarkets and other public buildings to venture out into the wild where they would be picked off by predatory birds.

Escaped dogs would also prey on them for a while as they jogged their hunting instincts. They had already seen a panting husky dog looking for water. Later they had seen the same dog drinking from a huge puddle. The puddle had been formed by water leaking from the ruptured tank of a crashed pickup truck.

Thankfully, the foods they were collecting had not yet attracted the rodents as they didn't require electricity to remain fresh. The fresh fruits and vegetables however were exposed to air and moisture and need artificial refrigeration to remain fresh. The meats, cheeses and milk required the same conditions. Now they were providing a feast for fungi and microscopic bacteria which produced the slime and the green spores as well as providing signals to the insects and the rats that the time was right to move in. The stench was awful but they held their noses, tried not to look and collected their items as fast as possible. Thankfully, as they moved away from the meat and dairy product sections, the stench dropped off and there were less rodents scampering about, much to Logan's relief.

They had collected many bags of cakes and biscuits. "Alright I think we got enough. Quinn turned from her searching and her eyes widened. Logan was effortlessly seven bulging bags that were stuffed full of cakes and biscuit packets "How are you carrying all that?" He grinned "Baby I'm all muscle." She rolled her eyes but couldn't help feeling proud. She picked up her three bags and nodded towards the folding glass doors. "Let's go." "Gladly." Smiling, they exited with their groceries.

Michael and Dustin were trudging up the street as they looked for a pet shop. Elvis trotted along beside them. They were both hot and sweaty and Elvis panted noisily. "I've got to have some water." Michael gasped. Dustin shaded his eyes and glanced at him. "Where are we gonna get water from? Zoey and Chase have the water." "There must be a water source somewhere. That cat we saw earlier must have had a drink somewhere." They stopped and glanced around in all directions. Michael spotted a swimming pool located in the yard of a house. "There!" He exclaimed, grabbing Dustin's arm. The boy turned and grinned "Let's go drink!" The pair ran over and easily climbed over the fence bordering the yard. Once in the yard, Michael opened the gate to let Elvis in.

A garden hose had been left on and water still dribbled into the pool. The rising water had overtopped the poll sides and flooded the garden. As he and Dustin approached the overflowing pool, barking rang out. They turned and suddenly noticed a large dog covered in shaggy black fur and sporting a long tail stood at the opposite end of the yard. The animal snarled and saliva drooled from its jaws. They started as the dog lunged at them but suddenly stopped short.

A chain had been secured to the collar around its neck with the other end of the chain secured to a wooden doghouse. The dog barked, snapping its teeth, and strained against its tether. Michael heaved a sigh of relief. "It's okay Dustin he's tied up good." There was no reply. He turned but there was no sign of his companion "Dustin?" "I'm up here." He glanced up to see his friend had climbed into the winding branches of a huge birch tree. He frowned "What are you doing up there?!" "I'm hiding!" He exclaimed.

The teenager rolled his eyes "Come down. It's chained up, he can't get to you." To demonstrate, he waved to the guard dog. The shepherd snarled and snapped its jaws. The animal strained on the leash and the chain creaked alarmingly but held. "There, you see?" At last the boy climbed down and jumped to the ground. "Now let's get our drinks and go." The two reluctantly approached the pool and splashed their hot faces with cool water. The relief was wonderful and came just in time. They scooped up water in their cupped hands and drank until they were fully hydrated. Elvis lapped water at their side.

The pair sat back on the grass to relax and stared at the guard dog. Its tongue lolled out and it seemed increasingly weak. Now, it lay perfectly still on the grass and barely made a noise. The movements of its eyes were the only indication that it was still alive. The dog lay tantalizingly close to a pool of water. The grass in the garden had taken in all the moisture it could and now the soil was saturated so the water remained on the surface. The dog whined and struggled against its chain but could not reach the puddle.

Michael felt bad "Maybe we should unchain him." Dustin turned to him "Are you crazy? It tried to kill us!" "Well yeah but he was just doing his job of guarding the house. Plus, look at him. If we leave him here without food or water he'll die." At last Dustin sighed "Alright but I'm going to climb back up that tree." He stood up and moved towards the tree whilst Michael got up slowly approached the panting dog.

To his surprise, it exhibited no signs of aggression and didn't even blink as he approached. For a moment, he thought it had died when it whined and blinked. Its lifeline was fading fast. Now determined to stop it losing consciousness, he grabbed hold of the chain and broke the links thus freeing the weakened dog. Instantly, it scrambled up and bolted towards the pool, dipped its head in and began gulping down water while its tail waved crazily. He sniggered at the dog's comical posture. Dustin turned from the tree and began laughing too when he spotted the dog. At last, the animal finished drinking and raised its head. The dog gazed first at Michael and then at Dustin before racing off. "Where do you think its going?" Michael shrugged "Probably to find food." "And good luck to you!" He called out.

He turned to Dustin "Come on let's go." Now feeling reenergized, the pair left the yard and set off once more. As they walked up the street, they spotted several birds flying about in the treetops. Michael frowned as he spotted an Australian cockatoo and two speckled macaws perching in the trees. He realized they must be lost pets. Eventually, they stumbled into a pet shop. Rats were swarming around the floor and climbing over the shelves. "Gross!" Dustin cringed. Michael shuddered as the rats scattered for cover. Elvis barked and strained on his leash but Michael kept a tight grip on his lead. Once the rodents had disappeared, they began rifling through the ravaged shelves.

Eventually, Michael found a shelf stocked with packs of "Live Up" dog food. Grinning, he collected several and turned to Dustin. "Alright let's go." Dustin cringed as her remembered trying to feed Elvis the treats whilst Chase and Michael had been too busy to feed him. The memory had further set in his fear of dogs. They began heading back down the street towards the house they had slept in the previous night. Meanwhile, Chase and Zoey were heading along the sidewalk through a suburb lined with small grocery stores. They were holding hands whilst talking. They were discussing the time when Zoey, Lola and Quinn had all been attracted to the same guy.

"No, no I did not!" "You did. Logan and Michael told me, you were totally fawning over him!" "Chase, stop it!" She laughed. He grinned in response. Suddenly, a loud crash interrupted their conversation. They stopped "What was that?" Chase asked. The noise sounded again followed by the sound of creaking metal as though a heavy metal object was being battered repeatedly. "We have to check it out!" Zoey said. "What! It could be dangerous!" Chase exclaimed. "But it could be another person who might be able to help us out. It might even be one of our friends!" "It could also be another vicious dog." Chase argued. Zoey rolled her eyes "Look let's just go look. If it's a dog or another scary thing we'll just run like we did from the other dog. Ok?" Chase thought for a moment. "Oh alright." He agreed.

Zoey smiled and they approached the source of the creaking noises. The sounds were emanating from the alleyway behind a grocery store. They tiptoed up to the darkened shop and carefully peered around the corner. A minivan sat parked behind the back entrance but the vehicle had been battered and bruised. The windows had blown out and broken glass lay scattered around the van. Suddenly the automobile rocked on its tyres and a loud rumbling came from behind it. Chase cringed.

Suddenly, a great grey figure emerged from behind the damaged van. Chase and Zoey both gasped as an adult African elephant stepped into view. Its powerful grey body rested on stocky legs and two great ears fanned beside its head whilst its wrinkled trunk hung down. Two ivory tusks grew from either side of its mouth. The huge creature stood nearly as tall as the shop itself and towered over the minivan. The pachyderm rumbled in its throat and nudged the van once more. This shove set off the burglar alarm.

The colossal animal stood 12 feet tall and weighed nearly 5 tons. To put it simply, this huge mammal could wrap its trunk around Chase and effortlessly lift him off of the ground. "Zoey come on!"" He hissed to his girlfriend. "Zoey, let's go now!" She didn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on the elephant. He suddenly understood what had happened. She was frozen with fear and he couldn't leave without her.

A roaring bellow from the panicking elephant diverted his attention. The wailing alarm startled the huge beast and its trunk curled upwards as it bellowed and stepped back until it found itself up against the wall of the opposite building. The elephant trumpeted in panic and turned in the narrow alleyway, ramming the minivan and shunting it around. The violent movement killed the alarm and knocked the remaining shards of glass from the window frames. As the giant mammal turned, its eyes caught sight of them and it trumpeted through its trunk. Chase panicked and grabbed Zoey's hand "Let's go!" She suddenly unfroze and nodded, the pair turned and fled, sprinting away as fast as they could. From behind, the elephant trumpeted once more and its call drowned out all other sounds for a good few seconds. Thankfully, the huge animal did not charge after them.

They sprinted down sidewalks and raced around corners until eventually exhaustion took over. They slowed and eventually came to a halt. Chase glanced behind them as he gasped for breath. There was no sign of the elephant. They were safe.

Zoey glanced at him and he nodded wordlessly, too tired to talk. Once they had regained their breath Chase turned to Zoey "Did you see what I just saw?" "Yup and it freaked me out too. "I don't get it. I can understand loose dogs but an elephant?" "The elephant probably escaped from the zoo." "But that's exactly my point. Zoo animals never escape!" "I know! We can't worry about it though we have to get back and tell the others to watch out!" Chase suddenly nodded. They straightened up and took off once more.

After running for nearly ten minutes they arrived back at the house. Everyone was crowded outside waiting for them. Michael and Logan turned as they approached. "Wow what happened? You look worse than usual" "Chase man you alright?" "We-we got chased!" Chase wheezed. Michael sniggered "Aw come on those dogs aren't that scary!" "Not dogs. Elephant chased us." Zoey panted. The group all exchanged looks then doubled over laughing.

"It's true!" Zoey insisted as she straightened up. Chase also stood and nodded "Aw come on Zoey!" Lola exclaimed. "We're not that gullible!" Vince said. "No, I think they're telling the truth." Quinn said. Everyone stopped laughing and turned to her with quizzical looks "See? Thanks Quinn for the support" Zoey said "Yeah you're a good friend." Chase said.

"Oh come on Quinn how would an elephant get into the city?" Lola asked. "Ever thought that it might have escaped from the zoo?" Chase suggested sarcastically. She rolled her eyes but Quinn interrupted "No Chase is right. The elephant did break out of the zoo." "I am? I mean yeah of course I'm right!" Zoey rolled her eyes "Okay explain what you mean." Vince said. "Lola nodded "Yeah please do because I'm pretty confused. Michael and Logan also nodded.

"Well it's been about four hours since the power shut down. That means the electric fences in the city zoo have gone off. All the animals are probably starving by now and now the bigger animals, like the elephants, have started testing the fences. Now, with the power out, hungry animals are breaking through the fences to look for food. Many of the enclosures really are not strong enough to hold in large animals and almost all the cages rely on the electric fences to prevent escapes. But now the fences are failing."

"And what about all those dogs and cats we saw today?" He asked. "Yeah where are they coming from?" Michael added. "Oh that's obvious. Those are domestic pets that are starving so had no choice but to break out of their homes. They shouldn't be too much of a problem unless the dogs start moving around in large packs."

Everyone suddenly looked around. Quinn's explanation made perfect sense. A new sense of fear dawned. There were now dangerous animals roaming free. They had no lights to spot danger approaching and no adults with weapons to catch potential threats. A call sounded far off in the distance that Chase could have sworn sounded like a lion roaring. He could definitely hear dogs growling and barking. They sounded threatening though not comforting unlike the previous day. He suddenly felt very exposed. The elephant's trumpeting suddenly split the night air and everyone started. Zoey grabbed his arm and he sighed wearily. Tonight was going to be a long night.


	3. Escapees and explosions

**Chapter Three: Escapees and explosions**

The next morning, Chase's eyes flickered open and he wearily sat up. Around him Logan struggled to his feet and Quinn blearily rubbed her eyes whilst Lola sat up yawning. Michael was already awake but sat against the wall and scowled at the television. Elvis lay curled up asleep beside him. Vince, Dustin and Zoey were still knocked out on the sofa. The night had been long and torturous. They had slept in the same home as the previous night but this time they brought pillows and blankets from the upstairs rooms and made proper beds on the floor whilst the boys slept on the sofas. Michael had refused to sleep on a sofa or in a bed but had chosen to sleep sitting up against the wall just like the previous night with Elvis curled up beside him.

Dogs had been barking and growling all night. Several times, dogs were heard growling and barking right outside the house as they hunted for food. Each time dogs approached the house, they huddled low, kept silent and hoped the animals would leave. They had already thrown out all the decomposing food in the kitchen as Quinn had warned them it would serve as a signal to hungry dogs. Thankfully, though dogs pawed at the front door and barked, they eventually lost the scent of food and moved on. Even on this street they heard the sound of splintering wood or shattering glass as dogs or cats escaped from their houses. Doors left open and open windows provided easy exits for some cats whilst big dogs had to literally break through doors to escape. Dogs left outside had dug under fences and climbed over walls to escape. Dogs that had been tied up chewed through the leash before escaping.

Cats let out to roam had returned to their homes but after finding the houses empty had left to fend for themselves. However, many cats trapped inside homes had not been so luckily they were unable to escape and called for help whilst looking out of windows and scrabbling at doors. Many small dogs had also been trapped. They had freed several cats including a tomcat whilst Chase himself had unchained a shepherd, freed a thirsty labrador, and opened a sliding back door to release a starving collie; they had all felt positive afterwards. Now, Chase was regretting his decision to unleash the trapped dogs.

Several times they heard the elephant trumpeting and after a while, they heard other noises, the whoops of hyenas and what sounded like the calls of a lion. The lion roars were ten times more threatening than the packs of dogs or the elephant.

The noises sounded much louder now that all the artificial noises machines and vehicles such as from cars and airplanes had gone. All 200,000 in the city the cars had crashed, caught alight or skidded to a halt. The alarms from stricken vehicles had gone silent as their batteries ran out. Burning cars had exploded and now sat as hollow, burned-out wrecks. The many fires from burning cars had now flickered out with no material to burn. Parked and deserted automobiles now sat abandoned in driveways, garages and on streets, never to be driven again. The cars weren't the only stricken machines in this new reality. Buses, trucks and huge lorries also crowded the roads and highways. Many of the larger vehicles had suffered the exact same fates as their smaller models. The explosions from crashed buses and trucks and the resulting fires were even larger and more spectacular. These fires too had eventually died off. All the machines left operating in the city had shut off when the power grid was knocked out. From fax machines to fountains, from glowing street signs to computers, they had all gone dark or shut down. Suburban homes, apartments, shops, skyscrapers and office towers were all dark and silent.

That night a loud explosion had suddenly sounded from the local airport and tremors had shaken the entire building. The terrified teenagers were blasted from their beds and thrown off chairs. They scrambled about in terror and hit the light switches before realizing the house had no more power so the lights would be useless. Elvis scrambled out yapping furiously in terror and further startling them as he nearly tripped them over. The huge noise had sounded truly ear-splitting to the poor dog who's ears were far more sensitive than theirs. The windows rattled in their frames and deafening boom had temporarily drowned out the calls of the dogs. Once the panic died down, they all checked on each other to make sure everyone was okay. The couples had found each other and comforted one another. Michael eventually got Elvis to calm down and fall silent and Chase had played tug-of-war with him to help the nervous terrier relax. They had all run to the windows and gazed out. A plume of smoke rose from the airport and they could see the bright glow from a raging fire. The sight was spectacular.

Quinn had shakily explained that thousands of planes would approach airports and runways with empty cockpits. Every unmanned landing would end in a catastrophic fireball. The air traffic control towers would be empty and many planes would collide in mid-air, resulting in a fiery light show and a huge boom before the debris rained back to the ground. Thousands of other planes would continue flying on autopilot but when their fuel would run out, they too would fall from the sky. They had just seen one of the unmanned planes fall to the ground. Others would rain down in the coming days. The fire would soon be extinguished by rainwater so it was nothing to worry about. Now feeling slightly better, the anxious teenager's had settled back down to sleep but none of them had slept soundly that night.

The sounds of escaped dogs had increased and become much more frequent and much louder as the night wore on. At one point Chase asked aloud how this was possible. Quinn fearfully explained that more and more dogs were breaking out of their houses to look for food and were now loose on the streets.

Michael had whimpered upon hearing this. Chase had remembered Zoey once telling him that 400 million dogs were kept as pets in the USA and Canada alone. If even half of those dogs escaped, then the city would get more and more dangerous as time went on. 500 million domestic cats were also kept as pets. If even if those cats also escaped then they would cause further problems. There were also bound to be many stray cats and feral dogs roaming the continent. Before long they would begin mixing with escaped pets and breeding freely. The problem would only get worse when dogs would begin breeding with wolves in the forests and mountains. Quinn also told them now with an elephant loose, other animals would begin escaping from the city zoo. With herbivores roaming around, the predators would soon join their prey in roaming the sidewalks and high streets.

She specified that big cats such as lions, tigers and possibly panthers would do very well here as their ancestors had thrived in the Americas before humans arrived here and now with humans absent once more they would thrive again. Even worse, wolves and mountain lions would begin coming in from the country to exploit the masses of decomposing food left in homes, supermarkets and restaurants.

Zoey suddenly awoke, sat up and stood before yawning. She groaned "Ohhh I feel awful." "Join the club." Lola muttered. Vince also awoke and sat up yawning. Chase turned to Zoey "So did you sleep well?" He asked jokingly in an attempt to cheer her up. His attempt failed as she rolled her eyes. His face fell but she changed her mind after seeing his long face and planted a kiss on his lips. His eyes immediately lit up and even once she pulled away, he stood staring in to space with a dazed smile. Elvis yapped and ran between his legs which eventually snapped him back to reality just as conversation began. "So what's the plan for today?" Vince asked as he placed his arm around Lola's shoulders. "I guess we stay here." Zoey suggested. "We can't stay here." Quinn muttered. Everyone turned to her. "And why can't we stay?" Chase asked "Eventually, those dogs will come back. If the dogs don't come, lions that escaped from the zoo will turn up."

"But we don't know that any lions have escaped." Chase pointed out. "Yeah, all we saw was one elephant." Dustin said. "Trust me Dustin if there's an elephant roaming around it won't take long for the lions to find a way out of their enclosure." Quinn stated. Dustin opened his mouth to protest before Zoey cut him off "Okay, okay." she said. She didn't want to listen to an argument this early in the morning. "Let's just assume the lions are out what's the issue? Why can't we stay here?"

"They're probably starving and won't have enough energy to chase down and kill prey they'll want an easy meal and the scent of leftover food will draw them to houses in this neighborhood." "But there is no food left." Lola pointed out. "They don't know that. They'll get inside anyway and probably attack us first."

"Plus this house has no power, we have no way of preserving the food we collected and the taps in the bathrooms have run dry so once the bottled water runs out we're stuck. By then going outside will be even more dangerous because of the dogs and the lions." "So what do you suggest?" Zoey asked "We need to go back to PCA." She stated. "What! Why?" Vince asked. At this point she sat up and a sudden gleam entered her eyes "We need to go back because the PCA entire PCA campus is still being supplied with electricity." At this everyone suddenly turned and began talking at once "What!" "Are you serious?! "How do you know this?" "QUIET!" Zoey shouted and everyone instantly fell silent. She turned to Quinn "Okay Quinn how do you know this?"

"Dean Rivers told me once when I was fixing the speakers in his office. All the power supplied to the buildings and facilities on the campus is generated by wind turbines located outside the city in the desert wilderness. Power stations require constant management to remain working but wind turbines don't. If the builders of wind turbines are correct, the turbines are still operating and generating power which is still supplying the campus buildings with electricity. That means all the food stocked in the canteen, pantry and larder should still be perfectly fresh and edible. There should be working lights and lockable doors and a working electric fence to keep out dogs and other animals." She explained grinning wildly at her surprise announcement.

Everyone began grinning and look around at each other. The general mood lifted and everyone's faces lit up; Michael and Logan high fived whilst Zoey and Chase shared a celebratory kiss. "That's why I love you." Logan told her proudly before leaning towards her. They shared a soft sweet kiss and pulled away. The moment was brief but it lifted both their moods. "Well let's go!" Vince exclaimed and everyone nodded. "Wait are you sure about this?" Michael asked Quinn and she nodded gleefully "Yes I'm sure! When am I ever wrong?" "Alright I'm just checking." Grinning and laughing, the group left the house and headed out into the streets. Each member carried at least one bag of water or food but Logan proudly carried three including Dustin's when he complained of aching muscles.

A rottweiler and a savage-looking border collie were feasting on rubbish from an upturned bin. Both dogs turned and growled upon seeing them. "Alright, everybody be quiet and make no sudden moves." Michael told them and they carefully walked past the dogs. Once they were passed, the dogs continued eating.

A flock of geese soared past high overhead. Their calls could be heard for miles in the quiet city. Now there were no factory fumes, honking cars or glowing signs to confuse them, migrating through cities was a breeze. They spotted a grey stallion nibbling grass in a field. The horse looked up as they approached and snorted but did not shift a muscle. The saddle on its back indicated the horse had escaped from a private stable. They even spotted a pack of long tailed monkeys climbing the spruce trees in a city park and feasting on garbage from overturned bins. The primates were covered in thin, grey fur with flexible limbs and long tails. They scrambled through the branches, jumping from tree to tree or crouching on the ground and feasting on garbage. Their hoots and noisy chattering filled the air. The group watched with amazement as they walked past. The monkeys had obviously escaped from the local zoo. Suddenly, a large dog sprang like lightning from the thick gorse bushes snarling ferociously. The dog sported a dense coat of shaggy golden hair. The group quickly moved on not wanting to watch the next event.

Behind them, chaos unfolded. Shrieking, the primates scattered and scrambled into the treetops. One primate moved too slowly and the powerful dog seized it in its jaws, shaking it vigorously. The terrified monkey's shrieks were cut off and they heard bones cracking. The dog dropped the still monkey to the ground and licked its lips before settling down to feast to its kill. This dog was a golden retriever, a beloved dog known for its gentleness and peaceful nature and treasured as a trustworthy family dog. Now its eyes glowed with malice and it snarled like a wild wolf as it tore away strips off flesh. Even the friendliest dogs were reverting back to the ways of the wild.

The collar encircling its neck showed this dog was clearly once a gentle pet dog and fed happily on dog food. Without its caretakers, the family dog had escaped from its home and begun to scavenge. Now it already learning to hunt again. Now it was a dangerous predator that killed to survive. Two other retrievers ran up and began to eat. These were juvenile dogs. The dogs were already breeding freely. Before long, the dogs would attack in packs. A stocky hound with long drooping ears trotted up and joined the feeding. This dog must be part of this pack as the other dogs allowed it to share their kill.

A black cat stalked past them following rats swarming through the back entrance of a grocery store. Lola shuddered and Vince grasped her hand comfortingly. Michael led the group and scanned the area for dangerous dogs. He put up a hand and they stopped. A blackmouthed cur trotted past across the road, tail wagging. Two shepherd dogs fought over the scraps in a dumpster. They moved on and cast wary looks at the snarling dogs.

Suddenly a raccoon scurried past right ahead of them and a ginger cat ran after it hissing. Lola shuddered and looked away as the cat cornered it in an alleyway. Their joyful mood was dissipating as they witnessed the bizarrely altered reality they now lived in. Suddenly a car alarm wailed from across the street. They all turned as two elephants plodded down the street. One elephant effortlessly cleared a truck blocking their way and set off the alarm. The elephant took no notice and continued on.

Zoey and Chase recognized the leader as being the same elephant they had encountered before. Its trunk curled in as it trumpeted. Behind the elephant, its companion threw up its trunk and rumbled in its throat. Thankfully, the huge beasts passed by without noticing them. A husky spotted the elephants approaching and snarled, baring its teeth but quickly changed tactic and ran off as the giants approached. No animal challenged them. Without humans, elephants had no predators left to hunt them. Family dogs had run away and escaped elephants roamed freely. This was now their reality. Behind the elephants, wailing car alarms joined the barking of runaway dogs.

"Now I believe you." Michael whispered to Chase. He nodded too shocked to be glad his friend now believed him. They had almost reached the district where their school was located when suddenly a roaring from across the street caught their attention. Everyone spun around.

An African lioness padded towards them. Its powerful body rested on stocky legs and padded paws concealing razor sharp claws whilst its jaws opened, revealing deadly curved teeth. The big cat growled and stared back at them. Another growl sounded and they spotted a larger male lion lying atop a parked car. Shaggy, golden hair surrounded its neck and shoulders in an impressive mane. The lion growled and flicked its tail lazily whilst the female watched. Another lioness watched them from across the street with predatory eyes and three mewling cubs played in the dust close to the second lioness. This was a warning from a pride of lions that had picked out their new territory. These lions had obviously escaped from the Los Angeles' city zoo, just like the two elephants.

Everyone was trembling with terror and the couples held hands whilst Michael kept a death grip on Elvis' leash as the dog remained silent. Even the little terrier understood that barking at these lions would not end well. They were all eager to run away but then the lion's instincts would kick in and they would be hunted so they forced themselves to slowly walk away slowly. From behind, the male lion issued another thunderous roar and they all trembled. The city was now becoming the urban jungle. And the lions were the dominant predators in this new habitat.

When at last the lions were no longer in view, they ran as fast as they could. They startled a grazing ostrich which promptly went racing off and a cat scattered from their path. They ran until they finally reached the great iron gates at the campus' main entrance. There they stopped and waited until they had their breath back. Once done, they straightened up. "Were those really lions?" Lola asked in a trembling voice. Deep down she knew they were but the encounter seemed so surreal she questioned its validity. "I'm afraid they were baby." Vince replied "But-but how?" She asked. Chase sighed "They escaped, just like the ostrich and the elephants." "The power's off and they're starving so they escaped to finds food, its logic." Zoey explained.

"And what about those dogs?" Logan asked "Why are they all suddenly acting so nasty and vicious?" "They're responding to their primal instincts. The characteristics reinforced in them by us are being replaced by their basic instincts. They way they're behaving now is how they should it's how they behave naturally. We changed their behaviour to serve us but now they have to revert back to their old styles in order to survive. Similarly, house cats will lose their submissive nature and revert back into predatory mode. They'll adapt to this new reality and begin hunting for scraps for food before moving onto rats and birds." Quinn said

"What will they eat?" Michael asked "Cats will begin working in colonies and working together to survive. They'll probably utilize dumpsters and bins as food sources to start with but will soon move on to mice, rats and birds. The dogs will prey on mice and cats to start with but before long they'll exhibit wolf like characteristics and begin hunting in packs. Any pet birds or rodents that escape from their cages will do well in the wilderness as they were never truly tamed. All pets will return to the ways of their ancestors in order to survive." She stated.

"And what's going to happen to those lions?" Chase asked. "As for the lions and the elephants, they only acted submissive in captivity in order to obtain food as they learned aggression and attempts to escape are useless and get them punished. But now that they're free they're exhibiting their true instincts and utilizing their adaptations to survive in this urban environment." Quinn explained. Suddenly they heard snarling and barking. Elvis leapt up and yapped. Chase screamed and Logan pointed with a shaking finger.

Growling, several timber wolves raced down the street towards them. The wolves growled and barked. A stocky grey wolf with scruffy grey fur led the pack. All the wolves sported dark grey or black fur. The leader spotted them and barked, tongue lolling out. "RUN!" Zoey shouted. They all scrambled to their feet, grabbed their groceries, and ran up past the gates. Snarling, the alpha wolf raced after them. The other wolves bounded after it barking and baring their teeth. "Shut the gates!"" Quinn ordered. Chase and Michael each grabbed one of the heavy metal gates and strained to push them shut. The wolves were gaining. The leader's eyes narrowed and it barked. "Hurry Chase!" Zoey urged. "I'm trying." He grunted and pushed. At last they forced the gates shut and set the bar in place. The gates locked with a metallic clank. Everyone relaxed and sighed in relief. The wolves reached the gate and began growling.

The leader thrust its muzzle through the bars and snapped. Lola screamed but the wolf reluctantly withdrew. The grey wolves at last turned and loped off. Their growls and barking was heard long after they disappeared from view. "Well the wolves are here just like you said Quinn." Zoey said sarcastically. She sighed and pushed her glasses further up her nose. Logan held her hand comfortingly. From behind them a croaky voice called out "God save America!" The group spun around in delight hoping to have found another person but their expressions dropped. A crested cockatoo sat perched in the branches of a palm tree. The bird ruffled its wings and croaked again "God save the president!"

Michael angrily picked up a stone and hurled it at the cockatoo. The bird spread its wings and sailed out of range and laughed mockingly at them before flying off. Michael was still enraged and clenched his fists. Chase grabbed his arm "Hey easy man." "Man where'd that parrot learn to talk?" Logan muttered. "It's probably a pet was taught how to mimic words by its owner and flew away when its owner never returned." Quinn stated. Suddenly Lola heard a faint hissing noise behind them and turned around. Her eyes widened in horror and she screamed. Vince spun around "Holy crap!" He exclaimed as Lola screamed again. At this point, everyone turned to the pair and their eyes widened in horror. An enormous snake worked its way across the ground towards them. The serpent measured at least 10 feet and its forked tongue flicked in and out of its mouth as it slithered towards them.

"Cheese and rice! That's a huge snake!" Michael exclaimed. Everyone froze. Chase whimpered and gripped Zoey's hand whilst the blood drained from Dustin's face giving his face a ghostly white look. Terrified, he hid behind his sister. The group bunched together for protection as the enormous python swept along the ground towards them. "Don't move. If we don't move it'll see us as background objects." Quinn whispered. Everyone grabbed hold of someone else and they all froze. Hissing, the monstrous snake slowly slid past them. Suddenly Elvis yapped and strained on his leash. The python arced its head around and hissed "Elvis, sssh!" Michael hissed. The dog ignored him and barked again. The python turned its body in their direction and gazed at them with cold reptilian eyes. Its slit-shaped pupils held the group in a fixed gaze whilst it hissed. Finally, it uncoiled itself, writhing towards them.

Michael yanked the leash desperately but Elvis strained and yelped whilst the snake moved ever closer. Luckily, at that moment, a zebra trotted into view. The patterned stripes lining the animal's body gave it an exotic appearance. The zebra stallion trotted over to an open drain, lowered its head and drank deeply with nostrils flaring. The python caught sight of the zebra and slipped towards it hissing. The zebra spotted its approach and reared up on its hind legs in terror with fore hooves striking the air. The stallion dropped back and galloped away, whickering loudly in alarm. Hissing, the enormous snake writhed after it and disappeared from sight.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Then Lola whacked Michael across the head. "Hey! What was that for?!"" "You nearly got us killed!" She exclaimed. He scowled "How was that my fault?" He demanded "It's your job to control the dog and keep him quiet!" "I tried!" He insisted. She opened her mouth to shout again but Vince placed a calming hand on her shoulder. She relaxed and turned away. "Alright is everybody calm now?" Zoey asked. They both nodded but without looking at each other. "Alright let's go look around the school." Logan said and everybody nodded. They picked up their heaving bags and set off. This was a dangerous new world and they would have to learn quickly if they wanted to survive.


	4. Wolves and floodwaters

**Chapter Four: Predators in PCA**

The group trudged across the deserted campus grounds. Just a few days ago the campus had echoed with the sounds of students talking, shouting and screaming. There even been laughter. There were mobiles ringing, feet thudding, vehicle engines revving and papers rustling. Now all was quiet and still. The air was deathly still. The fountains had stopped working so even the running of water had stopped. Only birdsong and the distant barking of dogs interrupted the silence. Suddenly a roaring cut through the silence. Unlike the dogs, this unknown animal sounded close, very close. Everyone started. "W-what was that?" Dustin whispered fearfully. "It's okay Dustin. Here take my hand and get behind me okay?" Zoey said. He nodded and stepped behind his younger sister. She held his hand with her own right and held Chase's hand with her left. They heard the roar again, this time they could tell the sounds were coming from behind the cafeteria.

Logan took Quinn's hand whilst Lola whimpered and moved to stand behind Vince who looked ready to fight to protect her. No one noticed Elvis growling and raising his hackles. Michael's hand shook and the leash slipped from his hand. Elvis darted around the corner before anyone could stop him. "No! Elvis get back here!" Chase hissed. He moved forwards but couldn't grab the trailing lead in time. They heard the dog yapping furiously which was followed by another terrifying roar. The dog whimpered. A moment of silence followed then the wiry terrier reappeared, whimpering, and cowered behind Chase's legs. He panicked and they all looked up. Suddenly a tiger padded into view. Its powerful body rested on muscular legs and padded paws whilst its long tail twitched behind it. Vivid black stripes patterned the animal's fiery-coloured coat. Its jaws opened and it roared at them. Growling, another tiger suddenly walked up to their right and snarled threateningly. This predator on the other hand was an albino tiger. Its shaggy coat was pure white giving its black markings a more striking appearance. Elvis whimpered and yapped again directing the tiger's attention. Chase gulped audibly as it trained its menacing eyes on him.

"Everybody run!" Zoey shouted. Everybody turned to scatter. Suddenly a loud grunting sounded. From behind, a white rhinoceros plodded into view, snorting. Behind it, the rusting gates hung off their runners. Clearly the weakened barriers had been of no obstruction to the rhino. The huge beast chewed on twigs as it trudged towards them. "We're trapped!" Michael shouted. Everyone panicked as they looked for a way out.

The orange tiger stood to their left, snarling, whilst the albino tiger had positioned directly in front of them. To their right was the cafeteria building and from behind the rhinoceros ambled towards them. Spotting them, it paused and grunted, lowering its horns as it got ready to charge them. The fiery coloured tiger roared a challenge as if warning it to back down and its muscles tensed in preparation for a pounce though it wasn't clear whether it planned to attack them or the rhinoceros. Chase suspected it was them because a tiger would never be able to bring down a healthy adult rhino and because it's gleaming yellow eyes were trained on him and Zoey in particular.

"Quick, get into the cafeteria!" Zoey shouted. Chase threw open the revolving glass doors and everyone glass doors and everyone rushed inside, Elvis following at their heels. Then Chase ran in and hurriedly shut the doors before heaving a sigh of relief. Everyone relaxed.

Suddenly the albino tiger trotted up the doors and began sniffing the glass panels. Growling, it pawed at one of the automatic doors. The automatic opening had stopped when the power shut down but the tiger could still break in. Everyone froze and Lola stifled a scream. Vince gripped her hand. Michael lifted Elvis into his arms to stop him from running up to the tiger and yapping at it through the glass. The small dog trembled with terror and whimpered. Everyone stood stock still. No-one said a word. They all knew how easily the powerful cat could break through the glass panels fitted into the doorframes. Thankfully, just then the predator turned, bared its teeth, and bounded away. Everyone shared confused glances. What could possibly have scared a healthy, fully grown tiger?

Just then the rhino's grey bulk filled the glass as it thundered past, snorting angrily, providing their answer. The ground shook under its pounding feet. Everyone started and Elvis whined. They heard the tigers yowl in alarm and go bounding off, pursued by the panicked beast. The rhino had just saved their lives. No-one felt like going after it to thank it though. The grey giant could easily kill them with a single blow of its powerful horn. For a few moment silence reigned. Then Zoey spoke "What do we do now?" No-one answered because no-one knew. At that moment Michael turned to Quinn looking frustrated "Quinn I don't get it. You said there a huge electric fence around PCA that would keep the animals out." "I was sure it would." "Well it hasn't! Rhinos and tigers are roaming free around our school!" She flinched at his frustrated tone. At this point, Logan angrily stepped in to defend her. "Hey, don't shout at Quinn!" He argued. "You stay out of it pretty boy!" Michael shot back. "Pretty boy?!" Logan spat. Michael nodded "Yeah I said it." He boasted, challenging the other teenager to respond.

Logan lunged for him. Elvis yelped and scrambled free from Michael's grip, jumping down on to the floor. Luckily Chase grabbed his friend by the arms and pulled him back. "Stop it both of you!" He said firmly, glancing at the two. Michael snorted before turning away and Logan sneered at him. Chase turned away and ran a hand through his bushy hair in frustration. Zoey placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. A few moments of silence passed. "So do we stay here or not?" Vince asked at last "We can't it's not safe!" Dustin argued. "What I don't get is how did those tigers get past the electric fence?" Lola asked. Everyone thought for a moment, then Chase snapped his fingers "The gates!" Quinn nodded "He's right. The main gates aren't electrified. Once the tigers got past the gates they'd have free access to the campus." "But how did they get past the gates? The rhino crushed it like a soda can I get it, but a tiger can't do that." Michael asked.

"The sliding gate for the school parking lot would be left wide open to vehicles could enter and leave PCA easily and that's how the tigers got in." Logan explained. Quinn nodded. He was right. "So I guess we have to leave PCA then." Michael muttered. Everyone's faces dropped and the mood darkened. From outside, they heard barking and spotted two wolves chasing a cow across the playing field. The powerful beasts were merciless and the poor cow didn't stand a chance. Zoey looked away. She was fond of cattle due to their placid nature, and didn't want to watch the killing.

Suddenly Quinn's eyes lit up and she snapped her fingers. "That's it! Why didn't I think of this before?!" Everyone turned to her "What's your idea babe?" Logan asked urgently. "We could set off all the fire alarms in the entire school at once to drive all the animals out of the school!" Everyone now looked confused "I, I don't get it." Chase confessed. Everyone else began nodding. Quinn rolled her eyes and explained.

"Most animals can hear at much higher frequencies than humans, predators in particular have very sensitive ears. The louder a sound is the more an animal distrusts it. Large animals are affected in the worst way. They're almost deafened for a short while. It's perfect for driving out the elephants and the wolves. The elephants' large ears will amplify the noises and the wolves will be temporarily disorientated. The loud noises will frighten them and drive them out and even better, they won't come back. If they sense that this environment is unsuitable they won't return." "And will that drive out all the creatures?" Zoey asked. "No, not all the animals will go. Some of them will find shelter and wait until it's over." She confessed. "Okay so animals will be able to wait it out?" Chase asked "Please be small and cuddly." Zoey whispered to herself. "The animals that should wait it out are small rodents, snakes, lizards and a few cats." "That's fine then." Chase said and everyone else nodded. "No it's not! I hate mice, snakes and cats!" Lola protested. "Well have you got a better idea?" Dustin asked. She sighed and shook her head

"Don't worry we'll make sure they don't hurt you baby." Vince promised. She smiled "Oh alright." She said. The pair kissed whilst the others watched, grinning and shaking their heads. Elvis suddenly yapped, startling the pair. Everyone doubled up laughing. Lola rolled her eyes whilst Vince laughed well naturedly. "So Quinn how will you activate every fire alarm in school?" "All I need to do is get to reception outside Dean's Rivers office where the electrical controls are. Then I can activate the wires that set off the fire alarms all around the school." "Wow is that all?" Chase said sarcastically. Everyone laughed and Quinn rolled her eyes. Chase cracked a smile "I'm just kidding Quinn. That's a great plan." "Well let's go." Vince said. Everyone nodded and the group set off. As the group walked, Logan whispered to Quinn "This idea was pure brilliance." She turned and smiled as her cheeks reddened "Oh it was nothing."

He grinned and they kissed briefly. It was swift and fleeing but full of passion. Suddenly Elvis yapped from behind "Hey Elvis is telling you guys to get a room!" Michael laughed. They both turned and scowled at him. He continued laughing regardless. "Good job dude, I respect for you that." He looked so comical addressing the yapping dog as if he were another person. He seemed like his old self again and that encouraged Chase. He'd been worried about his best friend lately and was glad to see him on the mend from his romantic crisis. From behind, Zoey and Chase exchanged joyful glances. They were both glad to see Michael was moving on from his breakup with Lisa and was feeling jokey once more.

At last they arrived at Dean's Rivers office, pushed open the creaking oak door and stepped inside. The musty smell of mildew brought on a sense of nostalgia as they remembered another life in another reality; one full of laughter and life, not this hostile reality, ruled by dangerous predators. Everyone exchanged regretful glances. They were all thinking the same thing. They had taken that easy life for granted and it had changed and their lives would never be the same again. Lola leaned her heads on Vince's shoulder and he began stroking her hair soothingly. Zoey suddenly took hold of Chase's hand and squeezed it tightly. He looked at her and when their eyes met, an unspoken pact passed between them. They would never let anything separate them. All the friends exchanged glances and the pact rapidly engulfed the whole group. Zoey and Dustin also promised that they would look out for each other as they were likely now the only ones left of the Brookes family.

Once the nostalgia had passed, Quinn shook herself and gently let go of Logan's surprisingly smooth hand and logged into his computer. They still had a job to do if they wanted to reclaim their school from the dangerous creatures that had claimed it. Once she'd found the right system she turned to the others "Alright you guys might wanna cover your ears. Chase, find a way to shield Elvis' ears." "How do I do that?" "Uh, put him in that closet. Dean Rivers had it lined with metal to protect the school trophies if there was a fire on campus. There's a light inside so he won't get scared. "

Chase obediently opened the closet door "Come on boy, get inside." The dog hesitated. Chase waited for a moment and the dog climbed in. He flicked on the light "Now, be a good boy." Then he shut the door. There was silence from inside, no barking or whining. Feeling satisfied, he strode back to the others.

"Alright everybody cover your ears." Quinn instructed. Everyone obediently clapped their hands over both ears. Suddenly Logan's eyes widened as a thought struck him and he urgently turned to Quinn "Who's gonna cover your ears?" He asked, concern tingling in his voice. Everyone suddenly looked perplexed as the thought hit them. She threw him a reassuring smile "Don't worry Logey. At soon as I set off the alarms I'll cover my own ears. "He still looked concerned "I'll be fine baby." "You promise?" He asked her. She nodded "I promise." Logan nodded, now satisfied. "Alright, ready, steady, go!" With that she set off the alarms and instantly clapped her hands over her ears, shooting Logan a look as she did so. He smiled back as a deafening clamour exploded life. The ongoing din drilled into their skulls despite their best attempts to block it out. The volume was deafening. Chase shouted at the top of his lungs to Zoey, asking if she was ok, but his words were drowned out by the deafening ringing. Dustin dropped to his knees and shouted but to the others it seemed he was miming as his lips moved but nothing was heard. Their tactic was working though.

The rhinoceros thundered past the building, the ground trembling under the leviathan's great feet. Its frantic snorting too was muted. Several dogs of various colours went racing past, barking and howling. Chase spotted a greyhound running swiftly behind the leader, followed by a massive mastiff, a panting bulldog, a rough collie, a golden retriever and a little terrier with a stocky alsatian leading the pack. They spotted the zebra galloping across the rugby pitches as it whinnied loudly in terror. The boa constrictor writhed past. Its hissing had been muted. Various birds soared through the sky as they flew away the campus. The sheer spectacle of seeing so many different birds in flight was awe inspiring. Ducks, crows, vultures, robins, falcons, and geese; all kinds of birds were fleeing together. Smaller animals took shelter underground. They saw rats, mice and other small creatures running around as they skittered, hopped, scampered and slithered to shelter by slipping into holes, burrows, lairs and crevices.

Lola cringed as she saw various snakes writhing into crevices as well as rats and mice scurrying into their lairs. A wiry-looking tabby cat ran past Chase's foot and he started. The cat ran underneath the Dean's great wooden desk and disappeared from view. They saw the wolves retreating as they cleared the rugby pitch in only ten long bounds. Two horses sporting glossy coats thundered past, snorting and moments later, the fiery tiger streaked past in a blur of blazing red fur. Moments later, the albino predator followed, roaring with alarm.

The ordeal of the alarms drilling into their skulls was only matched by the sense of relief and triumph they felt as they saw all the animals that had entered the campus retreating, including the dangerous predators. At last, Quinn hit the keyboard, and the clamour died instantly. The group carefully removed their hands from their ears. "Man, that was loud!" Dustin exclaimed. "You can say that again kid." Michael replied "Okay, man, that was loud." He repeated. Everyone shot each other smiles at his misunderstanding of the phrase.

"Okay so what now?" Vince asked "We should do a sweep of campus to ensure no large animals have stayed behind, and then check the lights are still on and the power is still working then meet back here." Quinn said. "Okay but what one question?" Michael asked. She nodded "Okay shoot." "If we do find like a tiger or a python has stayed behind, what are we supposed to do to it? Politely ask it to leave?" Quinn smiled "Good point Michael. Follow me." She turned and walked off. The others exchanged confused glances. She turned back and waved for them to follow "Come on!" She urged. Reluctantly, they trailed after her, not quite sure of what to expect. She led them back to her dormitory block and into the girls' room. "Okay Quinn where are you taking us?" Lola asked. "Be patient and all will be revealed." She replied cryptically. Lola rolled her eyes as Quinn opened the doors of the wardrobe and pulled out a gleaming circular tube armed with tiny bolts studded around a round opening at one end. She grinned at them expectantly. "Okay I'm officially lost." Zoey said

Quinn rolled her eyes "It's a weapon we can use against any predators we encounter from now on." "Okay, so how does it work?" Chase asked, eyeing the device with caution. Quinn demonstrated "When you press this button, a series of sharp metal bolts fly out and impale the creature's tissue. They're positioned to strike vital nerves such as the lower leg muscles and the muscles in the face. The more the animal rubs or claws at them, the deeper they sink in." Zoey shook her head "No there's no way I'm using that on an animal." "But what if it's trying to kill you?" Dustin asked. "I don't care I'm not going to kill it." Chase understood her reluctance. She was naturally very gentle and kind. She believed in the principle of "live and let live" She respected all organisms and believed that all life was worth respecting but sadly, the feral dogs and the big cats didn't see her in quite the same way. They only viewed her as a walking snack. "These bolts are not lethal. They fall out within an hour leaving only scarring that will heal up. The animal suffers no permanent damage but this machine will stop you from getting mauled or eaten." Quinn told her.

"How many do you have?" Lola asked. "I have ten for the moment and they don't need replacing often but the iron darts will have to be replaced every few weeks." "And do you know where to get them?" Vince asked. "Yup. I buy them from a specialist dealer who specializes in supplying parts for offensive weapons." Everyone groaned and turned away "What?" "That dealer is probably vanished now. That means once your darts run out your weapons will be useless." Chase told her. She rolled her eyes "Oh Chase. I know where his store is and he has stores of then and other parts in the basement." "Are you sure?" Michael asked "When is she ever wrong?" Logan said moving to support his girlfriend. Michael rolled his eyes "Stay out of it Logan." Before he could respond, Quinn interrupted "Yes I'm sure. There are plenty to last us ages." Only now did the group begin to feel hopeful.

Quinn showed each member of the team how to correctly hold, aim and fire the weapon. She told them that with each shot released, six darts would shoot out and hit the target, temporarily immobilizing the animal. They struck the muscle tissues and hit in strategic places that would make the animal want to lick, claw them or rub them on surfaces but this drove the darts in deeper but they caused no lasting damage, only pain and mild scarring. They were effective against all animals, from nasty cats to escaped elephants. They were better against a lone animal than against a pack or a herd of animals but if they split into groups then they stood a better chance at fending off a pack of predators. Sadly most of the predators they had seen would attack in packs. Dogs, wolves and even African lions all lived and hunted in groups. Only tigers and predatory snakes hunted alone. Still, having the weapon was better than having no weapon at all.

They split up into pairs; as always the pairs usually comprised a couple. The "pairs" were: Zoey and Chase, Quinn and Logan, Lola and Vince and finally Dustin and Michael. Chase had offered to walk Elvis to give Michael a rest and so Dustin wouldn't be so on edge when the pair were off exploring. Michael was the only one without a partner and though his mood had improved, Chase was still concerned about him. He thought that if Michael and Dustin become closer friends then he wouldn't feel as lonely when they split up into groups. The friendship would also help Dustin to adjust to this new reality where he had no friends of his own age to interact with. Michael was the most similar to him in terms of character; they were both loud, funny, made bad jokes and were both over confident at times. Both Zoey and Chase felt confident their plan would work out.

Plus, Elvis seemed to react positively to being around his actual owner. Yapping and yelping, the feisty terrier scurried around Chase's legs, wagging his stumpy tail. He laughed "Wow easy Elvis! Don't trip me up!" He grabbed the leash and finally brought the energetic little dog under control. Zoey rolled her eyes but ended up smiling despite herself due to Chase's antics with his own dog. Chase could somehow entertain her even when he wasn't trying to. That was one of the many reasons why she loved him. It still surprised how it had taken her so long to understand that she was in love with her closest male friend. Lola and Quinn were right; she'd been clueless for a very long time…

"Hey, uh, Zoey?" Chase's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned to him "Oh, what did you say?" He gave her his trademark lopsided grin "Nothing you just sort of zoned out for a bit and everyone left." Zoey looked around and suddenly realized he was right. The bedroom was empty once more. The only in the room were her, Chase and Elvis who was straining at his leash, eager to get going. "We should probably get going before Elvis you know, dislocates my arm." He suggested. She laughed "Alright come on then." She picked up the gun, clicked the safety catch on and turned to Chase "Catch me if you can!" She turned and ran from the room "Zoey! Wai-oof!" Elvis yapped and bounded after her, yanking Chase off balance. He stumbled after the dog, begging Elvis to slow down as the terrier yapped furiously after the laughing Zoey. She cast a glance over her shoulder and laugher harder as she watched being dragged along by the voracious terrier. Then, a thought struck her; despite this dangerous new environment, they were still managing to have fun and just act like kids.

Michael and Dustin meanwhile, approached the cafeteria benches. The pair had been discussing past encounters with girls and hadn't been paying much attention to their surroundings. Luckily, they hadn't seen any large animals either. "Yeah Trisha was a cow. I can't believe Chase ask her out when he knew I liked her!" He protested. Michael sighed; he'd been going on about Trisha for nearly half an hour. He didn't want to say anything but this topic was becoming seriously boring. Plus, it didn't help that Dustin insulted Chase, his best friend, in almost every other sentence. It was even worse as he knew the truth. Chase and Zoey had explained the situation to the entire group once the argument between Chase, Trisha and Dustin had ended. But they had all been sworn to secrecy not to ever tell Dustin what had happened otherwise he'd be really upset at Zoey for not trusting him.

On the other hand, he had to say something. Dustin sounded genuinely angry about the situation even though two years had passed since it occurred and Michael didn't like seeing the kid all frustrated. He'd grown close to Dustin in the last few days and now thought of him as a good friend whereas before he'd only of Dustin as Zoey's little brother or as a dog-sitter for Elvis. He had to say something

"Yeah, uh, about that…" "What about it?" Dustin said, squinting up at him to block out the harsh sunlight. Michael paused then sighed. Explaining what had really happened was not going to be easy; if he told Dustin the truth he would forgive Chase but would feel hurt that Zoey didn't trust him and Michael didn't want to be blamed for causing a sibling argument. On the other hand, Chase was his best friend and he didn't like seeing him blamed for events beyond his control. But before he could respond, Dustin paused, "What was that?" "What was that?" He asked confused. "What was that?!" The younger boy hissed, pointing to a tall, bushy hedgerow. Now Michael saw it. The tall bushes shook as though something was behind them.

He stiffened and raised his weapon; Quinn had named it a dart-gun, and clicked off the safety catch. The tall bushes could conceal anything from a pet cat or a terrier to a rhinoceros or an elephant. Dustin stepped back and watched nervously as he took aim at the moving bushes. Suddenly, a tall black shape cantered into view. Michael's eyes widened in surprise and he lowered the dart gun. It wasn't a wild dog or a lion, it was a black horse. The stallion had a powerful body resting on strong legs. Its inky black mane lay along its neck and its ears pricked up as it snorted. A saddle lay secured to its back and reigns hung loose around its neck. The horse's sleek body concealed well-defined muscles that rippled under its coat. This was no cart-horse; it was a pet from a wealthy property that had obviously kicked the fence to splinters and run away from its paddock a few days ago when its owners failed to return.

The animal looked well fed, so clearly it had found food and a water source so why had it come here? He approached the stallion and expected it to run away but it stayed still and even shuffled over to him. He was surprised. This was obviously a stallion that was used to interacting with humans. Snorting, it shook its reigns and suddenly he understood. The saddle was a burden to it. "Poor guy let's get that saddle off you." He approached the stallion slowly with raised arms to show he meant it no harm. "Michael, be careful!" Dustin called, he had never been fond of large animals and the horse seemed placid but it could turn violent at any moment.

The stallion however, stood perfectly still as Michael lifted the saddle off. The stallion neighed gratefully, nuzzling him with its head. "Wow easy boy!" Michael laughed, stroking its mane. Suddenly, it hit him; he had seen this horse before. He'd hung out with him, played football with him and even fed him cookie! But this couldn't be the same stallion; those events had taken place nearly a month ago now. Surely the horse had forgotten him? But he had to be sure. He turned and looked directly into the horse's chocolate brown eyes "Winchester? Is it really you boy?" He asked hopefully.

The stallion suddenly reared up on its hind legs, fore hooves pawing the air as it neighed triumphantly. Michael too burst out laughing. This was him! "WINCHESTER! It IS you!" The horse dropped back onto four legs and nuzzled him, snorting. Michael ran his hands through his silky hair and hugged the great horse. Winchester had come back! "Ok what is going on?!" Dustin demanded loudly from behind them. Both boy and stallion turned. Dustin was standing a way back, looking confused and slightly concerned "Well? Aren't you going to answer me?" Michael grinned proudly and gestured to the black stallion "Dustin, meet Winchester. Winchester, meet my good friend Dustin." The horse whinnied loudly and Dustin took a step back, startled. "Okay how do you know this horse? How does it know you? Are you planning to keep it? And lastly, why call it Winchester?" Michael paused. He realized he needed to consider some of those questions himself. He looked to both the confused Dustin and to Winchester, still standing patiently behind him, and rubbed his hands together "I think it's time for a story." Dustin still looked puzzled but Michael grinned. Soon, all would become clear.

Logan and Quinn strolled down the campus. For a while, Quinn had been tense and edgy, looking around and keeping quiet with her hands always clutching the dart gun in case of a surprise attack. Logan attempted to converse or kiss several times but she either turned away or ignored him and that hurt him slightly until finally he stopped her and demanded an explanation. She realized she'd hurt him and explained that she hadn't meant to and that she was just trying to keep them safe because even though he was physically fit and fairly strong, he still wouldn't be able to fight off a boa constrictor or a tiger so she had to be on the lookout. He accepted her explanation but asked to be allowed to hold her hand and so she accepted. But nearly twenty minutes had gone past without hearing or seeing any large predators. They had seen a burly pitbull terrier and a longhaired collie feasting on the bloody carcass of a donkey on the street outside the campus. Luckily, the electrified fence separated them from the wild dogs. The collie looked up at the pair and snarled. The gesture was akin to a wolf growling. The dogs were now just as dangerous as their wild relatives in the mountains. They had both shuddered and moved on before the dogs tried to test the electric fence.

Dogs were already responding to their instincts and had adapted to taking down large prey animals. Highly aggressive dogs like pitbulls would react faster and become successful hunters more quickly but eventually most breeds would totally revert back into wild predators. Guardian dogs, like sheepdogs and collies, would also revert more rapidly as they were never as submissive as pet dogs. They were always bred to be powerful and aggressive to guard sheep and cattle from other predators, but now they themselves would kill farm animals they once protected. It was as if one of mankind's last legacies, the devotion of the sheepdog to his sheep, was fast disappearing as instincts overcame years of reinforced domestication. Similarly, cats kept in rural areas such as in cottages or in farmhouses, would adapt faster than domestic pet cats as they were already used to a wild environment. City cats would struggle to adapt and not all cats would survive. Some cats had features or designs that would prove fatal when it came to hunting and surviving alone. Cats and dogs that were more susceptible to illnesses would also struggle to survive in a post-human world without artificial treatment.

For now though, they were safe. The electric fence surrounded the entire school and would keep out the dogs as well as the wolves. So slowly Quinn had relaxed and now they gave each other flirtatious looks. As soon as they found a suitable place to sit down, the kissing would begin. He couldn't wait. They'd seen a grass snake earlier but it had slithered away, a squirrel that had scrambled up a tree and encountered an inquisitive labrador. Surprisingly, the dog had not turned feral and had retained its domesticated characteristics. Quinn sadly explained that the friendly dog would not survive for much longer. Its submissive nature would not enable it to track down prey or survive in the wilderness. Dogs like this were doomed. Certain dogs had had all traces of aggression or prey-drive bred out of them and this made more submissive and more suitable as house pets or service dogs. Logan watched its clumsy attempts to catch birds and rats and realized she was right; this dog was not agile enough to survive in a post-human reality.

Unfortunately, the same instincts that made it an unsuitable pet would enable it to survive in this post-human period so without its drive to hunt, this dog would never make it and its breed would likely die off. The plastic collar around its neck proved its status as a domestic dog. The dog had escaped from its home and managed to survive by scavenging scraps but these would soon dry up and the dog would eventually die of starvation. In the race to survive, labradors would lose out. A few labradors would breed with other more hardy dogs and preserve a small aspect of their genome but the unique labrador breed would disappear within a few generations. They had moved on, but surprisingly, the Labrador had followed them. Logan had attempted to chase it off twice but it persisted in following them. Eventually, they gave in and even now the dog trailed them, at a distance likely expecting food or comfort.

Finally they came to the fountain. The stream of water had run dry because there was no power but it was shaded due to the statue built on top. This was the perfect spot. They hurriedly sat down and Quinn wrapped her arms around his neck. He gazed into her gentle brown eyes, framed by perfect eyelashes, and felt passion surging through his veins. He entangled his arms around her slim body and pulled her close to him. His eyes drank in the sight of her luscious curves and her womanly body. The feeling of their bodies pressed together was indescribable. The hormonal rush it gave him was otherworldly. It was better than eating pizza, playing basketball and flexing his biceps all at the same time. He buried his face in her tumbling locks of soft chestnut-brown hair and smelt her cherry flavored perfume. The scent was fruity and pleasant, he could almost taste it. He felt his conscious mind switching off as his instincts overtook it and let himself become totally immersed in her….

Quinn sighed dreamily as she wrapped her arms around Logan's back. She inhaled the familiar scent of his cologne and felt her heart beating wildly. His arms enwrapped her and made her feel secure, safe and loved. She had never felt this way when Mark had hugged her. His hugs were comforting and warm but they lacked the sense of security that Logan's hugs provided. She placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes to lose herself in his manly scent…

Suddenly a sharp barking cut through their haze of passion. They both attempted to block it out and hold onto their one moment of peace and solitude. Amongst the power failure, the packs of wolves, the crashing planes and the escaped elephants, they had found a moment of calm amongst the chaos. Even as civilization fell apart, they held onto one another and relied on one another and their unbreakable bond to pull them through this mess. The animals relied on instinct and their adaptations to survive but they were relying on something much stronger; the power of love. But the barking went on growing louder and more persistent. Then above the barking, they heard another sound. A low roaring that started out quiet but grew louder and louder as it seemed to get closer. As well as the rumbling, the ground began vibrating gently at first then more vigorously.

Finally, they pulled apart and Logan glanced down at the ground under his feet. The little stones around his feet were tapping up and down. He shot Quinn a confused glance but she looked as confused as him. The dog was standing up and barking loudly, tail waving crazily. Logan finally lost his temper and turned to the animal "Hey be quiet!" He shouted and the labrador fell silent. He sighed "Finally." Then its ears drooped, the dog whined then turned and ran away as fast as possible. Logan grinned "That's even better." He turned to Quinn but noticed her face stretched into an expression of horror. "What is it?" "Look!" She shouted. He turned and his eyes widened in alarm. "Oh that's not good!"

A roaring wall of water thundered down the steps towards them. They had entered the main plaza and the water to travel had been hemmed in by the surrounding buildings. Now it had gathered into a tide surging towards them. "Let's go!" Quinn yelled. Nodding, they scrambled up and took off running whilst the floodwater surged onwards, swallowing up everything in its path and for the first time in a week, the fountain was over flowing with water once more. Sadly there was no-one there to witness it.

Back near the spacious sports field, Michael and Dustin sat beside each other on a wooden bench at the edge of the field. The towering birch trees cast out a wide umbrella of shade that provided a welcome relief from the burning midday heat. Michael had just finished his story of he encounters with Winchester. The stallion himself stood under the tree, chewing the grasses. "And that's basically the whole story." Michael finished "And it's all true?" Dustin asked, looking skeptical. Michael rolled his eyes "Yes it's all true you can ask Logan or Zoey or even Quinn." Dustin nodded and seemed to now accept the story. He turned and nodded to the grazing stallion "So are you gonna keep him?" The teenager rolled happily. "Of course I will. His owner is gone and he ran away there's no one else to look after him so I have to." "But he can survive alone. It's been like three days since everyone vanished and he survived that long so he could survive without you." He pointed out.

Michael considered this for a moment then grinned "True but he came to you willingly. I didn't go looking for him or summon him, he tracked me down. That shows he wants to stay with me." At last Dustin nodded "Okay but where are you gonna put him/" "There are plenty of empty buildings around. I'll leave him inside one of the dormitories." "What will he eat?" The boy asked "Uh how about he eats some grass?" He answered sarcastically. Dustin frowned but before he could respond, Winchester raised his ears and he snorted. Michael spun around "What is it boy?" The horse whinnied and his ears pricked up as he listened out for danger. Then Michael heard it; a loud barking that grew louder as the figure barking came into focus. Dustin started and leapt to his feet "I thought Quinn said all the dogs ran away!" Winchester panicked turning and snorting in alarm. Michael grabbed his head and held him steady "Whoa! Easy there Winchester!"

He climbed onto the horse, turned him around and looked down to Dustin "Get on!" Dustin gazed up at him as if he had gone mad "Come on Dustin!" Dustin sighed and quickly scrambled on. The dog was getting closer, streaking towards them. Michael wondered why it running so fast, there were easier targets around. Why was this lone dog so intent on attacking two teenage boys and a fully grown stallion? Then, Michael saw two familiar figures sprinting onto the field "Is that Logan and Quinn?" He squinted against the harsh sunlight. But there was one more surprise left in store. His eyes widened as behind his friends, a surging wall of water raced into view and gushed onto the field "Oh man…" He muttered. Dustin saw it too and struggled more valiantly to get on the horse.

He just hoped they had enough time to get away

**A/N: Please review guys. I don't want to hassle you and I know you're all preoccupied and have things to do. I do too but I took the time and effort to type up this chapter for you. Unless I get more reviews I can't continue as I don't know what you lot think. If you have complaints or suggestions or questions just send me a message and I'll reply ASAP. But please guys, review more often. Reviews inspire me to write more which makes you guys happier so it's a win/win situation. So pleaser review and message me if you want to. Thanks and have a good day!**


	5. The question

**Chapter Five: Of quiet questions and galloping horses**

Winchester snorted and shifted. Michael struggled to keep him still. Finally Dustin was on. He picked up the reigns; Winchester stamped and reared, eager to get going. But just then Michael paused. Dustin baulked "What are you waiting for?" "We can't just leave Logan and Quinn!" Michael pointed out. The boy sighed "Well they had better hurry." They both turned around atop the stallion to silently urge the pair to hurry up. From behind the roaring or moving water grew louder as the tide advanced. Winchester stamped and reared up in terror. Michael fought to control him and keep him from running. But just then, a peculiar thing happened.

The floodwaters rushed onto the field and instantly the wall flattened out and the wave began slowing down. Dustin watched, puzzled and confused, as the water sank into the grassy soil and vanished. From atop his stallion, Michael was laughing victoriously. Out in the field, Logan and Quinn slowed down as they realized the water had disappeared and looked about in confusion. Shaking his head, Michael spurred Winchester forward and they galloped across the grass towards the pair. "Hey! Wait for me!" Dustin shouted indignantly but Michael clearly hadn't heard him. He sighed and sprinted after the galloping horse as fast as he could.

Logan and Quinn looked up startled as the great black horse cantered up and slowed to a halt. Michael sat atop its back, holding the reigns and grinning madly. "Hey guys!" "Michael? Where did you get a horse?" Quinn asked. Michael just looked to the two of them and raised his eyebrows knowingly. "Think back to the first time you guys ever kissed." Logan looked puzzled but Quinn's eyes widened "Wait this is the horse you had?" He nodded proudly. "Quinn, meet Winchester. " At this Logan rolled his eyes "There's no way this is that horse." Winchester neighed loudly and Logan stepped back, startled. Michael laughed "Careful don't offend him." "How did he get here?" Michael shrugged and swung down off the stallion's back "I dunno. He probably ran away from his stable." "And I'm guessing you're keeping him?" Quinn asked. Michael nodded and grinned "Yup."

They both rolled their eyes as Dustin finally ran up and struggled to catch his breath. "What I don't understand is how all that water just disappeared though?" Logan asked. "Isn't it obvious?" Dustin asked "The water got absorbed into the dirt to get used by the grass and the trees." "Yeah but the grass is supplied with water all the time by the sprinklers." Logan argued. "But the sprinklers stopped when the power grid went offline." Quinn explained.

Just then, the labrador dog ran up and licked Logan's hand affectionately. "Gross! Quit it, bad dog!" He pulled his hand away, wiping off saliva and the dog whined gazing at him curiously. Then it barked at Michael, Dustin and their horse. Winchester snorted uneasily and tried to back away. Michael grabbed his reigns and steadied the startled horse. "It's alright Winchester." He reassured the stallion although he kept his eye on the dog. Quinn smiled and crouched down, stroking its head "Good boy! Who's a good boy?" Logan and Michael were puzzled "Quinn be careful!" Dustin warned her.

"It's okay he's not gone wild like the others." She explained. The boy still looked skeptical. To demonstrate, she stroked along its back and the dog whined, licking its lips. Michael was pleasantly surprised. He petted the dog and to his delight, it licked his hand with its sticky tongue. Logan cringed "Dude that's gross." Michael paid him no attention. Even Dustin gingerly patted the dog and it nuzzled him. He smiled and hugged the excited labrador. "Why are you all excited? It's just a dog. "Quinn glared up at him "Logan he saved our lives! His barking warned us about the tidal wave!" At last Logan carefully petted the domestic dog on its head and it barked. He smiled slightly "I guess it's alright." We're keeping him." Michael announced. Quinn's face lit up. Logan sighed "How did I know that was coming."

"So we're going back with two new pets." The dog barked at the stallion and Winchester neighed but did not run away. "What are we going to call him?" Dustin asked. They thought for a moment. "What about Einstein?" Quinn suggested. Dustin pulled a face "Do we have to name him after some long-dead scientist?" Michael burst out laughing. Quinn scowled at him and he quickly disguised the laughter with coughing. "I guess it sounds ok." Logan said and Quinn smiled "Einstein it is then." She stroked the labrador "Hello Einstein." The dog barked and licked her hand. She grinned up at them. "He loves it!" "How do we know its gender?" Michael asked. At that point, Einstein cocked its right hind leg and urinated all over the grass. Logan barely dodged the shot in time. "Hey! Watch it!" He warned the dog. Einstein cocked his head and whined. Everyone grimaced "Yup it's a boy." Michael said. The dog barked and with that they stood up and prepared to head back to find their friends.

Quinn and Michael both held their dart blasters at the ready whilst Logan led Winchester by the reigns grumbling to himself and Einstein walked beside Dustin. Before long, Dustin walked with one hand on the labrador's back and was rather quickly overcoming his phobia of dogs.

Meanwhile, Zoey and Chase were sat on the single bed in Chase's dormitory hall kissing. Their tongues battled for dominance and their passion flamed up. Zoey had her hands wrapped in his thick bushy hair and he had carefully placed his hands around her waist. He had eventually caught up to her and their playfulness had soon developed into passion. They had stumbled back to Chase's dormitory and fallen back onto the bed before starting to kiss. They had felt uncomfortable keeping Elvis in the room whilst they kissed so Chase had tied the leash to the door handle outside and left the excitable terrier tied outside with a full bowl of "Live Up" dog treats and a bowl of water. If their friends got back, Elvis would yap and pull on his lead, moving the door handle and give them an early warning.

From outside Elvis yapped and snapped. The door handle moved down but the door stayed shut as Chase had locked it. They moved apart and shot one another knowing smiles. They would continue this later. They straightened their clothes just as Michael's voice sounded from down the hallway "Hey Chase! Where you at man?" Quinn voice followed "Zoey! Zoey come out?" "We're in Chase's room guys!" Zoey called out. A moment of silence passed then they faintly heard Dustin say "Gross." They both laughed "Are you guys, uh, you know, fully clothed?" Michael called out. "Chase rolled his eyes "Just come in!" At last the door creaked open, Elvis ran in and leaped onto the bed, tail waving. Chase patted the dog "Hey boy. Enjoy your treats did you?" The terrier yapped.

Michael stepped in followed by Logan, Quinn and Dustin "Hey man, hey Zoey." Michael greeted nervously. He looked nervous and his voice sounded very high pitched. He cleared his throat and grinned. "What's up dude?" Chase asked. Before he could respond, Dustin blurted out excitedly "Zoey, I got over my fear of dogs! I actually kinda like them now." Zoey smiled "That's great Dustin! I'm proud of you." "How'd you get over your fear of dogs?" Chase asked from his spot beside the window. Amazingly, he hadn't seen the labrador and the great black stallion stood in the plaza outside. "We got a dog! Oh, and Michael found his old horse, Winchester, we left them outside!" Zoey and Chase turned to the group. Michael and Quinn looked nervous whilst Logan seemed to be enjoying the uncomfortable atmosphere. At last Quinn spoke up "There's a lot to explain. Prepare yourselves." She sat down in Logan's swivel chair.

At last the story was finished. "So basically you guys found a friendly dog that won't survive without us then you saw this floodwater heading towards you. You ran out to the sports field where the water got soaked into the ground. Then you met Michael and Dustin who found this horse, Walter, you talked and decided to keep the dog?" Logan, Quinn and Dustin nodded. "You made just one mistake." Michael said. "What did I say wrong?" Zoey asked, surprised. "His name is Winchester." The teenager announced proudly, glancing out of the window to where they had left the great black stallion. Zoey rolled her eyes whilst Chase smirked. ""So can we keep Einstein and Winchester?" Dustin asked hopefully, gazing up at his older sister. Zoey sighed "What choice do I have? But I'm not going to clean up after either of them." At this everyone cheered even Logan. Chase grinned pulled her into a surprise kiss "You Miss Brooks, are the best girlfriend ever!" Her cheeks coloured and everyone laughed. "Well let's go see these animals." She said hurriedly, wanting to draw attention away from herself. They all got up and exited the dormitory.

Chase picked up Elvis and carried the terrier out. They had to be careful when introducing him to Einstein. They exited the dormitory and walked out into the open air. Winchester stood patiently nearby, his reigns secure to a flagpole bearing the official USA flag. Einstein stood by his side, tail wagging. Upon spotting them he barked excitedly and ran up to greet them. Everyone hugged and stroked him. Zoey stroked him and he yelped happily, nuzzling her. Her face melted into a smile and she hugged him "I officially love this dog." Everyone smiled. Winchester snorted and scraped a fore hoof against the concrete. Michael stood up, laughing "Don't worry we haven't forgotten you boy!" They all walked over to greet the stallion. They all stroked his coat and Zoey stroked his nose. He blew into her hair and she laughed "Hey stop that! It tickles!" Michael stood by watching proudly.

Then Elvis yapped and struggled as he spotted Einstein. The labrador barked, sniffing up at the terrier. Chase shot the others a nervous look. Now was the moment of truth. If the two dogs got along then all would be ok but if they disagreed, Chase would have to step in and risk injury to stop a fatal battle. He gently placed Elvis down and the terrier yapped, running between the Labrador's legs and sniffing whilst Einstein bent his head and sniffed him. Finally Elvis yapped and rolled over on his back showing submission and Einstein wagged his tail happily. They were fine around each other. Everyone grinned, including Chase. Both dogs looked to Chase.

Just then Einstein's ears pricked up and he barked, turning his head. Elvis got up and yapped whilst Winchester's ears pricked up and the horse snorted. Everyone turned to see what the animals had heard. Lola and Vince appeared as small figures in the distance, growing larger as they casually strode up, holding hands and looking very pleased.

They were whispering to one another and laughing not having seen their friends yet. For a moment everyone wondered how their search could have taken them so long. Evening was approaching. The sun's dying rays glinted on the horizon and pink streaks had formed in the sky as the violet clouds reflected the brilliant light of the sun. Then they noticed the pair's crumpled clothes, Lola's red cheeks and their lack of dart blasters. Quinn sighed whilst everyone else grinned knowingly, now understanding what the pair had really been up to.

They then strode up and stopped as they noticed all their friends gathered in a crowd staring back at them with folded arms and grinning faces. They promptly let go of each other's hands and Vince awkwardly cleared his throat. Lola's cheeks reddened even more. Then Winchester whinnied and they both started as they noticed the three creatures for the first time "Ok what's going on?" Lola asked loudly in an attempt to draw attention away from her and Vince.

Outside, the sky was pitch black. The full moon filled the sky casting its waxy light across the city. The night air resonated with the calls of animals; the barking of dogs, the roars of lions and tigers. They heard elephants trumpeting and horses neighing. Occasionally, the awful howl of a wolf also joined the chorus. Once the sounds from cars, buses and other vehicles had filled the night air whilst the general din from people all over the city carried on: people shouting; talking, laughing, babies and toddlers crying. Now the city's new population also continued its nightly activities. There were phones ringing, televisions blaring and music playing from systems and radios whilst a dazzling artificial glow lit up the entire glow. Car lights, televisions, computers, mobiles, glowing signs, ceiling lights and many other machines had all provided a light show that was visible from outer space. But now the power grid had failed and the entire city was pitch dark and the only light emanated from the moon and the distant stars.

Winchester had been left in Dean River's garage which had been filled with straw and grass from the field to build a layer of soft material for him to lay in. They had used an old rusting bathtub from the janitor closet as a water trough and left him with a huge bundle or grass to eat. The makeshift accommodation was likely nothing compared to the spacious stables he had dwelled in on the property belonging to his previous owner but Winchester didn't seem to care and PCA didn't have a barn or a stable. Quinn had assured a worried Michael that he would be okay. The predators couldn't get in to attack him and he was a horse so wouldn't be afraid of darkness. Then, at last, Michael had patted the horse and they left him grazing in his makeshift stable. Dean River's car had been parked in the main parking lot when everyone disappeared and now its garage was a home for a stallion. In fact the car was still parked in the lot alongside dozens of other empty cars. None of the abandoned vehicles would ever be driven again.

They had checked out the campus. Lights were still shining whilst machines were still running in offices and bedrooms all over the campus so at least here, the power was still working. They had switched off all the lights and shut down all the machines on campus to avoid attracting the attention of the predators down in the city. The task had been very time consuming and had taken them nearly two hours despite splitting up into groups. The electric fence still buzzed reassuringly with electricity. Quinn had reassured them only birds and rodents could get in. Winchester and Einstein had wandered in before the fence was turned on and after the fire alarm cacophony.

The lights were still working and so were the microwaves and the gas cooker in the lunch hall. The fridges and freezers were still refrigerated so there was plenty of food inside that would last them ages. They had added their own supplies in too. Zoey and Chase were excellent cooks so they would cook the meals whilst the others washed up. The sinks still produced clean water which wasn't a problem and the toilets were still working. They had all agreed to sleep in their old dormitory rooms. Their old room filled with all their clothes and personal possessions had given them a sense of comfort and they could use their phones and computers for entertainment although Quinn warned them not to use the phones too often in order to avoid pushing the fragile power grid into failure.

Elvis would stay with Michael, Chase and Logan whilst Quinn, Lola and Zoey kept Einstein in their room. Dustin would sleep with the boys as he was unwilling to sleep alone in a pitch dark dormitory hall with wolves and tigers prowling right outside the school gates. He could sleep on an extra blow-up bed with Elvis. Now that he was no longer afraid of dogs, the boy seemed to relish the idea of cuddling up with the feisty little terrier lying at his side to guard him whilst he slept. Vince would sleep in the next room. He was older than Dustin and wasn't so afraid of sleeping alone in an empty building but decided to sleep in the room next to the other guys in case of an emergency.

Quinn had told them animals would still be able to break through the electric fences but only in exceptional circumstances. For example, if a herd of elephants simultaneously charged the fence then the leader would drop dead after breaking through and the first few elephants behind it would receive painful shocks but the others would get in easily. However, this would be extremely unlikely to occur as there weren't enough elephants roaming loose to form a herd large enough. More elephants would break out of zoos and safari parks as the days went on but there was no reason for the elephants to charge the fence. So, the actual chance of this occurring was miniscule.

Luckily, the night passed any incidents. The next morning, Chase awoke and sat up. Around him, Michael was getting dressed whilst Logan gargled with mouthwash. Dustin sat on the inflatable bed looking awake and alert whilst petting Elvis. Chase smiled; happy to see Dustin getting on well with the little terrier. He wandered to the bathroom, washed his face and brushed his teeth. He returned to find Michael had gone "Hey where did Michael go?" He asked. Logan rolled his eyes "He went to say good morning to his horse." "You mean Winchester." Chase corrected. In response, the teenager rolled his eyes "Oh whatever." At this, Chase's eyes lit up "That reminds me I'd better go say good morning to Zoey!" Logan sighed and rolled his eyes. "You guys are impossib-"Then he paused "Actually I'll come with you to say hi to Quinn." Chase grinned knowingly Logan slapped him across the head "Hey! That hurt!" "Good!" Chase rolled his eyes but led the way "We'll be back soon Dustin. Stay here with Elvis and whatever you do don't leave the campus." The boy rolled his eyes "Well duh I'm not stupid you know." Grinning at the kid's response, Logan followed Chase out as Dustin grabbed a bedraggled rope-chew toy off the floor and waved it in front of the terrier. Elvis growled and seized it in his jaws whilst Dustin held the other end and they began to play a tug-of-war game.

Chase and Logan moved quickly across campus. On the other side of the chain-link electrified fence, three male elephants wandered past. Quinn had told them that elephant herds had mostly females and young as male elephants were driven out once they could fend for themselves. Male elephants usually travelled alone or in a small group as they had few natural predators. And in the streets beyond the elephant herd, Chase saw an ox struggling valiantly to fend off two lionesses as they harassed the animal to try and tire it out so they could avoid its horns and take it down. All around them, the circle of life continued, however, here at PCA, surrounded by the electric fence, they were cocooned in a small safe pocket, tucked away from the violence and savagery of the world around them as the struggle between predator and prey continued amongst the ruins of civilization, a struggle that had been raging since the dawn of time.

The surreal sight of wild animals roaming the suburbs was contrasted even more by the sight of live chickens strutting about in the street. For now, they had no fear as the lions would never bother with such tiny morsels and the elephants were vegetarians, looking for new trees to browse on. The likelihood was that they had wandered out of a backyard and had done an amazing job of dodging predators up to this point. Still they hurried on and encountered Michael standing outside the garage-stable stroking Winchester. The great black horse stood perfectly still as Michael used a brush to untangle knots in his coat. Curious, the two teenagers approached "Hey dude!" Chase called out. Michael turned and grinned at them "Hey guys! What's up?" Chase shrugged "Meh not much." "What are you doing?" Logan asked scathingly. Chase shot him a look but he went unnoticed. Michael rolled his eyes "I'm brushing Winchester's coat." He said pointedly. "Yeah I can see that but why?" Logan replied. "I'm brushing his coat to keep it glossy and in good condition." He responded. "Okay!" Chase said loudly, cutting in before the disagreement began. "Logan and I were just on our way to say hello to the girls. Wanna come?" Michael thought for a moment then shook his head

"Na, thanks man, but I gotta take Winchester out for his daily ride." Chase shrugged "Alright see you later dude." Cool yo." "Hang on, where are Vince and Dustin. "Dustin's playing with Elvis and Vince is probably still sleeping." Logan replied. Michael nodded, then with that, he shoved the brush into his pocket and climbed onto Winchester. He clicked his tongue and shook the reigns "Let's go boy." The stallion threw up his head, whinnied and cantered away. Michael turned on the moving horse and waved to them before turning back around to guide the stallion. Logan rolled his eyes then the two teenagers headed off towards the girls' dormitory.

Outside the girls' dormitory, Einstein stood against a small tree. He barked at Logan and Chase as they approached "Hey there Einstein! Whatcha doing?" Chase asked him. The labrador whined and cocked his head "Ok see you in a bit boy." Chase and Logan both left the dog to his activities as they entered the dormitory. They entered to find the girls relaxing. Quinn and Lola sat on bean bags watching an old episode of _Girly Cow_ whilst Zoey sat on her bed brushing her hair. Chase smiled and walked up to her "Het Zoe." "Chase!" She greeted him happily. They kissed briefly; a quick, fleeting touch but it sent shivers of passion through them both. She pulled away and they gazed quietly into each other's eyes. Chase was stunned. They had been dating for nearly a week but still her kisses had the power to freeze him in his tracks. Logan rolled his eyes but then Quinn walked up and gave him a hug and instantly his muscles liquidized into jelly.

From outside, they heard Einstein barking followed by the sound of hoofbeats and a horse snorting. Everyone turned to the window. "Here comes Michael." Logan commented and a moment later, Michael strode in. He grinned at them despite being drenched in sweat. Lola cringed "What have you been doing?" "I was out riding on Winchester." He replied in an offended tone "Well you're sweating everywhere." Zoey told him. He glanced down at the carpet and merely shrugged "It's not gonna kill you. I'll see you guys at breakfast." He turned to go when Chase called out "Where are you going?" "I'm gonna put Winchester in his stall." He grinned once more then exited.

From outside, they heard a horse neighing then Michael's voice called out "Giddy up!" The sound of hoofbeats started up before fading away as the horse thundered away. Logan sighed "Boy, he sure loves that horse." "I think it's nice. He doesn't have Lisa anymore he needs something he can be personally attached even if it is a pet." Then Einstein trotted in wagging his tail cheerfully. Quinn reached down and patted the labrador. "Speaking of pets…" Logan muttered. Quinn frowned at him "Shall we go get breakfast?" Lola suggested. Zoey rolled her eyes!" "You don't want food you want to go to the guys' dorm and see Vince." Lola's cheeks reddened. "I'm actually hungry though." Logan complained. Quinn took his hand. "Let's go then." They walked out. Lola followed and so did Chase and Zoey. Einstein got up and trotted after them but Zoey turned and pointed to him "Stay here Einstein." The labrador whined and sat down looking saddened. "We'll be back soon."

She patted the forlorn dog and closed the door behind her to stop him wandering off then turned to Chase "I feel bad now. " He smiled and grabbed her hand "He'll recover." "Chase! Zoey! Stop making out and hurry up!" Logan's voice rudely cut into their moment but they ignored him. Then she smiled and they followed the others, holding hands. They arrived and found Dustin already sat there. Elvis lay under his seat panting. Zoey frowned "Dustin! No dogs in the dining room!" "But Zoey, he's hungry too!" "That's why he has dog food." Before he could reply, they heard a horse neighing from down the hallway then Michael strode in and sat down. "What's up boys and girls?" Bowls and spoons were distributed by Vince who then sat down beside Lola. They smiled and hugged shortly before starting to eat. Logan and Quinn ate but secretly held hands under the table. Zoey and Chase sat opposite one another so they could look at each other whilst they ate and shot each other flirty looks.

Michael bolted down his cereal, splattering milk and cereal all over the table. Lola cringed as milk splashed on the floor. Then he dropped his bowl and stood up "I'm going to out riding on Winchester and explore PCA." Then he ran out of the room. He disappeared as he turned the corner at the end of the hallway. They heard a horse neighing and Michael's voice "Hey there boy! Let's go." Winchester snorted and they heard hoofbeats as they galloped away. Dustin also gulped down the milk in his bowl, jumped up and waved a bedraggled toy "Let's go Elvis! Come get it!" The terrier scrambled up, wagging his tail. Then the boy ran from the room, laughing as the energetic dog raced after him, yapping enthusiastically. For a few moments, the group just stared after them. The peaceful, intimate mood had been shattered by the energy and noise of first Michael then Dustin and the bouncy jack russell terrier.

"Your brother sure loves dogs now." Lola said at last. Zoey nodded "Uh huh." "And Michael sure loves his horse." Logan noted. Quinn noted although now she looked less pleased about it. Then the group returned to eating and tried to recreate the peaceful atmosphere that had been in existence before the disturbances.

After breakfast, the group split, Logan and Quinn headed off towards the basketball courts. They claimed they were going to play basketball together but the others knew the truth. Lola and Vince actually planned to explore the rest of the grounds as well as a bit of close contact. Chase and Zoey went for a peaceful walk across the campus. As they walked, they heard hooves pounding and turned to see Winchester cantering across the field with Michael bent low over his back. The horse's nostrils flared and his flanks were slick were sweat as he neighed. They watched with amusement as the pair streaked past in a blur of thundering hooves. Michael turned on the horse and waved as he raced past. They waved past as he and Winchester faded into the distance.

Chase took a deep breath and turned to Zoey. Now seemed like the right moment to ask her. They were totally alone. Their friends were nowhere in sight. Chase loved all of his friends, he cherished their company and respected them but sometimes discussions had to be held in private. The question he was about to ask Zoey could turn into an awkward conversation and if it did, he'd prefer it if they were alone. Now he just had to work up the courage to ask her.

Damn his lack of courage.


	6. Hot And Hotter

**Chapter Six: Confrontations**

Chase sighed and unclenched his fists. He was becoming anxious; he was finding it hard to swallow in the hot, dry air. He'd been staring straight at Zoey's face for at least the last two minutes and she was beginning to look slightly confused. They frequently exchanged flirtatious looks but this was different; he was staring blankly at her and she shot him confused glances but he was thinking too fast to be able to respond to her looks. He wasn't totally sure if he was doing the right thing but he had to discuss this. He believed relationships only lasted if both partners were totally honest and open with each other.

"Chase? Are you okay?" "Huh, what did you say?" "You've been staring at me for like the last past two minutes are you're starting to creep me out. "She told him. He shook his head "No I'm fine. Well actually Zoey can I talk to you about someone?" She smiled "Sure but can we sit down first? My feet are beginning to hurt." Oh uh sure." He hadn't even noticed that they were still walking. They came to a familiar fountain and he realized with a start that it was the same fountain that they had always met at before. This was where he had tried to tell her he really liked her after the fiasco involving tech-mates at Logan's holiday house, where he had tried to tell her about his then-girlfriend Rebecca, and this was where she had comforted him on the stormy night of his grandmother's death. Of course now the fountain was dry as the water spouting pipes had stopped working when the electricity failed. The memory of his grandmother's death hit him like a hammer blow and tears welled up in his eyes. He quickly turned away and wiped his eyes with his hand. Zoey turned to him in concern. "Chase, why are you crying?" "I'm fine. I'm fine really." "No you were crying. What happened?" He hesitated for a moment then told her "I was thinking about my grandmother." His voice was thick with hurt and he looked away from her to hide his tears. He eyes widened and her face softened with sympathy. She sat beside him on the fountain's outer rim and took his hand, holding it tightly before giving him a reassuring smile. He managed a short smile in response. Then she frowned "But why did you think about that now?" "This is the same fountain I ran to when I found out and where you found me during that rainstorm."

She looked around for a moment then her eyes widened "Oh my god you're right! How did you realize?" He shrugged "I dunno it just suddenly hit me. It's also the same fountain where we always met." She thought for a moment then shook her head "No way that's not possible." He nodded "Just look around." She glanced around and then her eyes widened again "You're right. How did I never see that?" He smiled and shrugged then Zoey turned to him "You wanted to talk me about someone?" He nodded and then asked "Zoey who's James?"

And then she hesitated.

Michael was grinning like a loon. The cool wind whipped into his face refreshing him. His clothes were drenched with sweat but he barely noticed it. He bent over Winchester's neck and whispered encouraging words into the horse's ears as they thundered across the campus. He was riding for sheer pleasure and it was exhilarating. He momentarily let go of the reigns and rode without aid with Winchester galloping unguided. He whopped with joy and Winchester joined in by neighing.

Suddenly he caught sight of two figures strolling across the campus. With a jolt of fear he recognized the pair; Lola and Vince, walking side by side and holding hands. They were lost in their own world and hadn't seen or heard the great black stallion thundering towards them. Winchester neighed in alarm as Michael gripped the reigns, pulling back as hard as he could. The stallion was trying to slow but its momentum carried them forward. He was screaming as he yanked back on the reigns, and the horse's shrill neighing echoed in his ears. At the last moment, Vince turned and spotted the horse. Eyes widening, he grabbed Lola and dived forwards, pulling her out of the way at the last moment. Finally Winchester dug in his hooves, sliding to a halt before steadying itself on all four legs. Neighing, he reared up with terror. Sweat soaked his flanks and the horse's nostrils flared. Michael let out an audible sigh of relief and fell forward onto Winchester neck as the horse relaxed. He could a heart berating furiously but couldn't tell whether it was his or Winchester's. "Good boy Winchester. Its ok we're ok. You're a good boy." He said soothingly as he gently patted the horse's neck.

"What the hell are you doing dude?! Are you crazy?!" Vince's angry voice suddenly brought him back to reality. He opened his eyes as Vince got back to his feet and gently helped Lola pulled up. Their clothes were caked with dirt and Lola's hair was now ragged and choked with dust. She still looked somewhat dazed "Well? Aren't you gonna answer me!" Then Lola's voice cut in "Michael, are you trying to kill us?" Michael simple stared back, unsure of how to respond. Vine's frustration was running out "Answer me!" He yelled. His angry shouting finally triggered a reaction. His own temper flared "No, I was not trying to kill you or Lola! It was an accident!" "Burt you nearly ran us down!" Lola shouted. Their loud voices were scaring Winchester. The horse snorted, stamping, and tossing his head. Michael grabbed his reigns to keep the horse steady.

"It wasn't my fault! You should have been watching where you were going!" "Watching out for what? There are almost no people left in PCA. Quinn and Logan are at the basketball court; Chase and Zoey are probably in his dorm, or ours. Dustin's off playing with the dogs. There are no cars being driven anymore and the electric fence blocks out the predators. We thought of everything, we just didn't think you'd be prancing about like a circus trainer on your pony!" Lola's outpouring rant finally drove Winchester over the edge. His sensitive ears detected her shouting; to the highly-strung animal it sounded like she was about to attack him and a response hardwired into his brain kicked in.

The horse let out a high pitched whinny of terror and reared up on its hind legs, pawing the air with his fore hooves. Then the horse relaxed and thundered away, nostrils flaring, Michael panicked "Winchester! Come back!" He cast Lola and Vince one last foul look then sprinted after the galloping horse. The pair watched him go with angry looks. Vince shook his head and Lola folded her arms, staring after him in exasperation.

Michael's lungs were burning and the muscles in his arms and legs were aching. He could hear the blood pounding in his ears and his body was drenched in sweat but he wasn't going to give. Up. He'd tried calling and shouting but the horse continued on its blind rampage. He didn't blame Winchester; the instincts were hardwired into his brain and when specific stimuli occurred around him, they triggered reflexes that had been sharpened over millions of years. He could see the great black horse thundering on just a few metres ahead. His reigns flew loosely around his head, he'd been chasing the stallion for nearly ten minutes and they were nearing the great iron gates that had been set at the main entrance. If he didn't stop soon, the horse would go slamming into the towering gates, crushing himself. Even if he jumped in time to clear the gate he'd end up on the street where the now-wild dogs and the tigers from the zoo were waiting. Unlike other horses, he'd not had the chance to sharpen his survival instincts and a predator would take him down. Michael wasn't prepared to lose him too. Winchester was the only one he had left.

"Winchester! Please stop!" He yelled. The horse showed no sign of having heard but neighed and kept on galloping. Then, suddenly, a pair of yapping Airedale terriers, a floppy-eared bloodhound and a great grey wolfhound showed up outside the iron gates. The wolfhound was a huge shaggy dog bred specifically to kill wolves. These huge dogs would make formidable opponents and if they began forming packs, even a tiger would avoid them. They had had no trouble taking down prey and living without their human masters. Their huge size made breaking out of apartments, homes and yards easy. They had heard the horse approaching and were hoping to take it down.

The hairy terriers were barking and clawing under the gates as though playing but the feral look in their eyes proved these were now experienced predators and had teamed up with a wolfhound to form a pack. The bloodhound had a highly refined nose and could detect scents from miles away. Its nose allowed it to track animals from over a kilometre away. Now though his eyes widened. Winchester was in mortal danger. It was likely other dogs were on their way. Or the wolves would turn up. Perhaps a tiger or even a pride of lions would make an appearance. None of these were potential scenes he wanted to find himself in.

Lucky, the sight of potential predators triggered another reflex action and the horse slowed to a trot then halted just metres from the gates. Outside the dogs growled and barked, scrabbling at the bars in the gate and pawing at it but the lowered bolts kept the gates shut and kept them out. Michael also came to a halt and nearly collapsed from exhaustion. After breathing heavily for several minutes, and fanning himself with his drenched shirt, he finally got his breath back. The dogs finally gave up and went bounding away, growling and snarling. They had spotted a flock of wiry goats clustered in a nearby field. However, several male goats armed with curling horns had formed a circle around the females and the young. The goats were waiting for them, bleating and pawing the ground. The sight would have been bizarre a few days but now he was becoming used to the sight of wild or farmyard animals roaming the city. He guessed that they had wandered off a ranch and now milled about freely. Nearby, Winchester had recovered from the intense gallop quicker and now stood calmly nearby, snorting and pawing the grass with a fore hoof.

He trod over to Michael and blew on him. He smiled and stroked his soft coat before getting up. He got onto the horse "You ready to go back boy?" The horse neighed triumphantly and Michael grinned before cracking the reigns, the stallion reared then they charged back towards the centre of PCA.

Meanwhile, Logan and Quinn lay on their backs amongst the soft grass on the football field. They had enjoyed a quiet romantic morning talking and pointing out oddly shaped clouds. Now they lay in a pleasant silence, holding hands and occasionally casting each other gentle smiles. They had actually spent the morning playing basketball at the court using balls littering the court, dropped when the players vanished. Quinn was a brilliant scientist but still enjoyed activity and Logan had gentle built up a love of sports in her. They played basketball and Logan was now a much better player thanks to the elbow technique Quinn had shown him however Quinn's agility still left him wrong-footed at times.

They remembered the time when Quinn had forced Logan to humiliate himself in a number of ways to help him improve his basketball skills when his only problem was his posture, she'd forced him to stumble around trying to catch a robotic remote-operated chicken, bombarded him with tennis balls on the playing field and even forced him to walk around the campus in a girls dress. She had claimed that all these activities would give him balance, improve his reflexes and help him feel less nervous in games though in reality, she had been fooling him and had just been embarrassing him to get her own for him insulting her earlier. Back then he had been angry with himself and furious at Quinn whilst she had laughed and reveled in her victory. Now though, they sat after their game, talked about the experience and this time they had both laughed before kissing. Now, here they were, lying in the grass and thinking. Then they heard distant hoofbeats and heard a horse neighing. They turned their heads slightly to see Winchester go thundering past in the distance with Michael atop the horse. Logan frowned "Man has he been going at that all morning?" He asked. Quinn smiled "Oh let him have his fun. After all, you've got me." At this he smiled and they kissed. Then they smiled. Outside PCA, the elephants trumpeted and the feral dogs barked, but they had their moment of peace and solitude amongst the noise.

Then they heard voices. These were familiar voices; Vince and Lola were approaching. They quickly sat up and looked around. They spotted Lola and Vince walking towards them and talking. They didn't look happy they seemed very angry and were talking in loud, raised voices. Logan frowned "Have they had an argument?" Quinn shook her head "I don't think so. When Lola's mad at a person she either ignores them totally until she calms down or she goes into a rage and attacks them but without causing much real damage. No, I think it's something else."

Logan waved to the pair and called out "Yo Lola! Vince! What's up?" The pair glanced up, nodded at him then strode up to meet them. They eventually came over and sat down next to him and Quinn. "Hey guys. Is everything ok?" Quinn asked carefully. Lola shook her head "No everything's bad." What happened?" Logan asked. "Michael's a skunkbag." Vince muttered. Logan raised his eyebrows. Despite being an avid sports player, Vince rarely swore so to hear him swearing so fiercely was a surprise. What had Michael done? Quinn rolled her eyes "Why is everyone so against Michael riding around on his horse?" "He tried to kill us!" Lola cried. At this her eyes flew open "Wait what?!" Logan scoffed "Ok Michael would never do that!" "It's true." Vince insisted. He was scowling and Vince could rarely carry on a joke for long so to see him so serious make him stop and think. "Ok what exactly happened?" Quinn asked. Vince and Lola took it in turns to explain. Once they were finished, both Logan and Quinn were very shocked "Wait, so he almost ran you down?" Quinn demanded and Lola nodded. "Did he apologize?" Logan asked Vince shrugged "He did but he won't accept that it's his fault. He kept saying he was looking, we should be careful." Quinn sighed "Give him some time to calm down. He'll accept the truth but just leave him alone."

Both Lola and Vince nodded. Then Lola spoke up "Let's go back and hang out with Chase and Zoey." "Let's just hope they're not eating each other's faces off." Logan muttered. Quinn whacked him in the arm. He flinched, rubbing his arm. "Oww! What was that for?" "Be nice." She said simply. He rolled his eyes but less than minute later they were holding hands again. And for the first time in nearly twenty minutes, both Vince and Lola cracked grins and shared a look. They strode across the campus then they came upon a scene that took their breath away but not in a good way.

Outside the electric fence, the city continued its transition to the urban jungle. An elegant Siamese cat stalked rats in an alleyway and a pair of rhinoceros, a mother and its calf, were drinking from an ornamental pond. Birds glided high overhead and a gang of dogs were chasing a fleeing donkey. The swift animal was braying harshly as it galloped away but the dogs pursued it relentlessly, barking and snarling with bared teeth. They spotted a greyhound, a golden retriever, a pitbull, a mixed terrier, a Belgian shepherd and a vicious german shepherd. A longhaired cat with wild eyes was eating a dead rabbit and they spotted a pair of zebras browsing on long grass in a nearby park. One of the creatures whinnied, tossing its head and its companion responded by snorting.

They heard an elephant trumpeting from a few blocks away. Other dogs were snarling and barking. A wolf howled in the distance. A rock python had coiled itself around the branches of a tree, hissing as its forked tongue flickered out of its jaws. A pair of chimpanzees had escaped from the city zoo and one of the chimps swung through the treetops lining the streets. Its companion hung from a branch by one hand and shrieking wildly. An enormous grizzly bear trudged across the street and rotted through an upturned bin. They could see the distinct shapes of animals through the windows of high rise office towers across the street; Quinn realized they must be feral cats, climbing the floors of the high rise office towers pursuing the rodent armies. In just a week, the changes were astounding. Roles had been reversed; wild animals had moved into suburban neighborhoods and now roamed the streets. On the opposite side of the spectrum; domestic dogs and house cats had moved out and abandoned their homes.

The scene was changing too. The section of fence provided them with a view of a bizarrely altered cityscape. Grass had sprouted through cracks in the concrete and tarmac. Dust and debris lined the streets and the white lines painted onto road surfaces were fading without replenishment in the heat of the sun. Soon the roads would be undistinguishable once the lines faded, if the grass and plants didn't cover them first. The crashed and parked cars and buses that blocked up the roads and highways were missing windows and the paint was peeling and flaking. The cars' metal was being eaten away incredibly fast by rainwater and rust. Soon they would totally fall apart and disintegrate into hollow wrecks.

The high rise office towers were missing windows where grass panes had shattered in high wind or fallen out. Winds whistled through the empty buildings blowing in dust, soil and seeds. Soon plants would sprout on the floors. Already, small plants grew atop the buildings. Hawks, eagles and other predatory birds sailed above the skyscrapers, calling harshly. Their cries intermingled with the grunts and roars from the city streets below.

Playgrounds and city parks would revert to wild grassland as the walls eroded away, the gates rusted and fell apart. Vines covered the windows of skyscrapers and wolves were returning to stroll amongst the ruins of the city. The zoos and wildlife parks would soon be empty once the last of the inhabitants had gone free. Domestic pets were reverting into wild animals.

"Oh my god…" Quinn muttered. Despite being a scientist, she was still human and the sight of her former home in ruins rendered the normally talkative girl speechless. Lola looked away, as though ignoring the spectacle would cause it to revert back to the way it was before. Vince sighed "We can't stop it. Let's go find Chase and Zoey. We can at least keep our school how it used to be." He took Lola's hand and they walked off. Quinn eventually took Logan by the hand as he stared at the crumbling city and led him off. Meanwhile, outside, the circle of life continued its turn, regardless. They came to the girl's dormitory block. "Zoey, are you there?" Lola called. A muffled reply sounded from inside the building and they entered. Oddly the glass-paneled doors had been left open. The wind had blown in dust and leaves. Lola quickly closed the doors afraid the dust would bring in insects and rats. They heard a dog yelping and Quinn smiled as Elvis ran up to them. Logan crouched down, stroking the dog's wiry coat. "Why is he here?" Vince asked. "Dustin probably him left him here." Quinn replied, smiling. She was glad to see Logan bonding better with animals. "Well let's go and find Zoey." Logan rose and they went on with the lively terrier hurrying after them.

They strode down the hallways and came to the girls' room. Quinn opened the door and they walked in. Zoey sat on her bed facing away from them and seemed to be gazing out of the window. Einstein stood by the bed, tail wagging with his tongue lolling but she appeared to not even have noticed him. He held Chase's football in his jaws, wanting to play. Upon spotting them, his ears pricked up and he ran over, licking Quinn's outstretched hand affectionately. She stroked his head and Logan happily took the ball off him and teased him with it. He enjoyed playing ball games with him and had bonded surprisingly well with the Labrador. Then their attention was drawn to Zoey.

She didn't even appear to have heard them enter. "Uh Zoey? You okay?" Vince asked. She turned and for a moment they were surprised. She looked sad and her eyes were red as though she had been crying. "Zoey what's wrong?" Lola asked. She and Quinn quickly sat on either side of her. She shook her head. Logan and Vince hovered uncertainly near the door. Einstein stood by Logan with drooping ears as though sensing a shift in mood. Elvis stood silently in the doorway with his tail wagging.

"Zoey talk to us." Lola said. "Did Chase do this? Did he hurt you?" Quinn demanded. Then she hesitated slightly. A steely look entered Quinn's eyes and she stood up, fists clenched. "I'll be right back." However, Chase's terrier blocked her way as though sensing the threat to his master. The dog bared his teeth, snapping and blocking the doorway. Quinn hesitated. She was angry with the bushy-haired teenager but wouldn't tackle the feisty dog just to shout at its master. "Quinn, come back." Logan grabbed her hand and reluctantly, she sat back on the bed "Tell us what happened." Logan said. Zoey began and as she spoke the memory played out in her mind;

_Chase gazed back at her expectantly. He was waiting for an answer. She suddenly froze; what should she do? Hadn't the others told him? How did he know about James? Had Logan or Michael told him? What should she do? "Umm…" She paused and fumbled over the words. She suddenly became tongue tied. "Ummm means?" He was waiting for an answer. "He was my boyfriend." She then paused and her eyes scanned his face for a reaction. His face dropped slightly and her heart sank though she struggled not to show it. "When did you date him?" "It was when you were in England at Covington high school"_

_He was now clearly hurt and he asked another question "When did you start?" "It was soon after I got back…" she answered evasively. Unfortunately he realized what she meant "That was a few days after you video chat date…" She was feeling his pain now too and nodded hesitantly. "We did say we could date other people during the semester though…" "But I didn't Zoey. I thought we were just saying it. I didn't even look art or kiss a girl at Covington. I thought maybe you wouldn't either." She could tell from his voice that he was telling the truth and instantly felt guilty that she had dating another guy whilst he longed for her company in England. _

"_Why didn't you tell me?" He asked and she shrugged trying to look away "I thought it wasn't important. I was really over him. I even dumped him because my feelings for you were getting stronger and I just couldn't do it anymore." At this his expression brightened slightly "Is that true?" She nodded. Now she had a question "How did you find out about him?" "He shared a room with Michael and Logan while I was gone. They told me about him and last night I found out you two dated for a few weeks." "I'm sorry Chase." "It's okay, I guess. So what was he like?" She shrugged. "He was okay, nice, friendly and pretty good looking." He looked at her sharply "But I realized I didn't really have feelings for him I'd just been drawn in by his good looks I guess. I realized I was still in love with you." Now he relaxed again._

_Far off in the distance, they heard wild dogs barking, cattle lowed to another to warn other of the predators followed by an elephant trumpeting, reminding them that despite this revelation, the circumstances outside Pacific Coast Academy hadn't changed, former pets and wild animals were running riot and rampant vegetation was overtaking houses and buildings in the city. "So did you actually love him?" Chase asked. The dogs still barked whilst another trumpeting made it hard to hear him. She thought for a moment before coming to a decision "I think I might have but that feeling didn't last. I am over him." She tried to grab his hand but he shifted away slightly. She was surprised to see him getting up and walking off. He turned towards her and could see the anguish in his normally warm brown eyes "I need some time to think Zoe." Then he was gone, leaving her sitting alone with tears welling up in her eyes and a shocked look on her face._

"Wait so he just left you?" Quinn demanded. Zoey was rushed back into the present and nodded. Lola put an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "Do you want to be left alone?" "No, I need you guys to stay. Will you do that?" Both girls nodded without hesitation. Quinn signaled for the guys to leave. Logan nodded, blew her a kiss then turned and left, encouraging Einstein to follow. The yellow dog barked and pounded energetically after him. Vince shot Lola a smile. She smiled back, and then the enthusiastic sports player turned and clicked his fingers at Elvis. The terrier sniffed his hand before obediently trotting after him as they turned the corner and disappeared.

Logan exited the dormitory. The sun's light flamed in the sky as evening approached. The air was cooling and a fresh wind swept through the courtyards, stirring up the leaves. The fresh air cleared his mind and helped him focus. He had made up his mind. He would track down Michael, explain the situation then they would go and talk to Chase, learn his side of the story and see how they could help. Vince strode up and summed up their next move "Dude let's go find Michael." The keen sports player nodded "Ok but how? This campus is huge he could be anywhere." Suddenly Einstein barked, catching his attention. He turned to the two dogs standing patiently behind Vince with wagging tails and suddenly a brainwave hit "Uh, go find Michael!"" He ordered the pair, trying to sound decisive. He 'd never owned a dog or any pet before Chase and Michael picked up Elvis from the streets outside Pacific Coast Academy and he had never been the dog's primary owner so he had little experience with animals. Chase had Elvis and Michael had Winchester but he had never had a pet.

To his surprise, Einstein's ears pricked up and he loped on ahead, pressing his nose to the ground and sniffing carefully. Elvis soon followed and the terrier's head shot up as he caught the teenager's scent. He raced off, yapping, and Einstein thundered after him, pausing to let the pair catch up. "He's got the scent, let's go!" Vince said and the pair sprinted after the dogs. To their surprise; they struggled to keep pace with the swift little terrier or the fast-moving Labrador. Both were good sports players, physically fit and fairly fast for humans but they could never outpace a good dog.

They were sweating and gasping for breath, struggling to keep up when up ahead, they heard hoofbeats and a horse neighing. No other horses lived on campus so it had to be Michael on Winchester." He's there!" Logan gasped and they pushed themselves just a little further until they spotted the powerful black horse up ahead, snorting and shaking its head as the dogs bounded around it, barking and wagging their tails. Michael hung onto Winchester's back, grasping the reigns, and calling for the dogs to back off.

Michael grinned as the wind blew in his face. He was taking Winchester on a final gallop back to the garage-stall before he fed him, poured water into his trough and left him locked in for the night. The cool breeze provided welcome relief whilst the late afternoon sun provided enough light to see by as they thundered across the football pitch. Suddenly Winchester began slowing before skidding to a halt and reared, neighing with alarm. Michael fought to regain control of the horse. "Whoa, easy boy! What's wrong?" Then two dogs ran up, barking at the horse. Michael realized they were Elvis and Einstein but why were they here? Weren't they with Dustin? He looked around but saw no sign of the boy. He must have left them to play alone, knowing they'd never leave the campus and would return when night fell or they grew hungry. The Labrador barked again, tail waving whilst Elvis ran around Winchester, yapping.

The startled horse reared up with panic. Michael nearly fell and fought to control him. He had to get the dogs to leave him alone before he fell off, one of them got kicked or Winchester took off again. They wanted to play but right now he couldn't "Go away, Elvis! Go find Chase! Einstein, go find Zoey! Good boy!" But the dogs still ran around the startled horse, barking. Winchester's eyes rolled with alarm and he stepped back, snorting. Michael struggled to think of another idea to distract the pair. Then Logan and Vince ran up, gasping for breath and he called out sarcastically "Yo guys little help here?" Logan called to the dogs "Leave Michael alone!" They turned and ran back to stand beside him, tongues lolling happily. Winchester calmed and whinnied. Michael sighed with relief, jumped down from the horse and strode over to them. "Okay what's going on? Why are you all out of breath? Why are Elvis and Einstein here without Dustin?" Logan sighed "Just come with us, we'll explain on the way. Michael opened his mouth to argue but then he noticed their serious expressions and realized this was important. For Logan to be acting seriously was rare, this was an important issue. "Get on. We'll get there faster on Winchester. The dogs can follow." The pair nodded and got on. Michael got up, grabbed the reigns, and called "Giddy up Winchester!" The horse neighed and galloped swiftly across the field. Barking, the dogs streaked after him.

They cantered up to the modified garage and the three teenagers slid off the horse. Michael grabbed the reigns and led Winchester into his stall whilst Logan turned on the pipe and filled up his water trough with the hosepipe. Vince added food to the feeding rack then Michael petted his nose, locked the door and they hurried off with the dogs trotting after them. Logan and Vince had taken turns to explain the situation to Michael as they rode across the campus on Winchester. He now understood the urgency. Chase was his closest friend and he cared a lot about him, they had a strong bond and Michael had come to think of him as a slightly older brother since his bushy haired friend was usually the wiser and more cautious of the pair. He hated seeing him upset, angry or conflicted and now he knew he had to do whatever he could to help patch up his relationship with Zoey.

Zoey was also his good friend, he knew her well and they had been friends for a long time. She wasn't as close to him as Chase was but he still cared about her and she was his best friend's girlfriend so he knew he had to help her too. As they approached the dormitory they slowed down to avoid arousing suspicion. He knew Chase; he was a considerate guy who didn't burden others with his problems. If he had a problem he'd just keep quiet and try to sort it out himself. Unfortunately, his response usually meant avoiding the issue and sulking in their room. And unfortunately, Zoey acted much the same according to Quinn and Lola. If she had a problem, she kept it to herself and wouldn't say anything to her friends. If the issue became unmanageable then she would request help but often she didn't. Plus he was determined to help out before it got that bad. Michael knew that it got to the stage of avoiding each other, Chase and Zoey might never patch up their relationship, or even their friendship.

And right now, they needed each other more than ever. In order to survive in this hostile world, they had to be able to work efficiently together as a team. If Chasse and Zoey couldn't look at each other without getting upset, then they'd never make it. Quinn told them that monthly they'd have to leave Pacific Coast Academy, journey out through the city and into the desert to check on the wind turbines and for her to make some small adjustments or to repair any damage caused by sandstorms, high winds or even vultures flying into the spinning blades. The slightest damage to the one of the propellers of one turbine would mean the other turbines would have to spin faster to generate enough power which would eventually overstretch the system and one by one the propellers would break away until the turbine barely spun at all. If this failure happened to more than three turbines, the power grid would shut down.

They got to the dormitory and entered. Logan shut the double doors and they came to their room. Chase was sitting on his bed with his legs dangling to the floor, and staring blankly out of the window at the setting sun. Logan noticed how similar the scene was to the setting in which they had found Zoey. She had been sat in almost an almost identical position. And Chase's expression matched Zoey's perfectly; sadness, confusion and concern. The trio exchanged looks before Michael stepped forwards and clapped their friend on the shoulder with a forced smile "Hey man! What's up?" He jumped as though startled then turned, eyes widening when he saw all his friends standing in front of him. "Oh uh, hey guys. When did you get here?" "We just came in. Didn't you hear us?" He shook his head. Logan and Michael exchanged discreet glances. This was bad.

Michael sat down at the desk and turned to the bushy-haired teenage "Well listen dude we're gonna go eat dinner soon but before that we gotta talk to you about something." Dinner, uh, yeah great. You know, I'm starving, so I think I'll go now and start cooking. See you dudes there!" Before they could stop him, he sprang up and stumbled out of the room. Michael sighed and Logan shook his head. Vince frowned "What was that all about?" "That is Chase's way of dealing with a problem." The sports enthusiast shook his head and frowned "I don't get it." Michael shook his head "Neither do I."

Chase sighed and glanced over his shoulder but there was no sign of Michael or Logan. They hadn't followed him. He slowed to a walk. Now that he was no longer running he began to notice his idyllic surroundings. A fresh breeze swept past and the fiery light of the sun glowed on the distant horizon. Birds circled lazily overheard and the fluffy clouds, streaked with pink light, drifted through the deep purple sky. From far off, he heard a lion roaring and started, but it was too far off to be a threat. The roaring was followed by barking. A lion was fighting a pack of dogs for some reason. That seemed like suicide for the dogs, then he remembered that most dogs were now experienced killers. Suburban pets were challenging wild predators; the dogs were no longer domestic. The noises reminded him that beyond the campus, it was a jungle out there. Despite the picturesque scene, he couldn't stop the tumultuous thoughts whirling through his mind like a storm. He was experiencing many different emotions right now but the strongest ones had to be hurt and confusion.

He was upset that Zoey hadn't told him about James. Relationships were built around trust and openness and he believed that all secrets, good or bad, should be admitted and discussed because even the slightest thing could grow and ruin a relationship. He believed that she had gotten over her feelings for James but felt wounded that she hadn't had the courtesy to tell him. In a way he understood why, she was afraid he would be angry or end their relationship but he wasn't. Even now he wasn't angry at all just hurt. He wasn't going to end the relationship either; he just needed time to think and let the pain ebb away.

This was his first "argument" with Zoey as a couple and so it was more significant than any other spats he'd had with her. They hadn't had that many fights but according to his memory, the ones they did have were long-drawn out and painful. They were painful in an emotional way not in a physical way. The wounds were metaphorical but hurt just as much as real scars.

He came up to the cafeteria building, threw open the doors then screamed as a dark winged figure launched itself towards him. Dropping to the ground, he shut his eyes but all he heard was wing beats and a hooting call. He opened his eyes and straightened up; smiling with embarrassment as he realized it was just an owl flying past. He must have startled the bird when he entered and it had tried flying out. The great predatory bird flew up and landed on the twisted limb of a dead tree, perching with its curved talons. A dead mouse hung from its beak and the great bird gazed back through wide black eyes before lowering its head and tearing strips of flesh off the dead rodent with its hooked beak. He shuddered, poor mouse, he thought to himself. He went inside and wondered how the owl had gained entrance.

Then he noticed one of the great glass windows lining the wall had shattered and the wind was blowing in dust and leaves. Well that was one mystery solved. But how did the windowpane break? The owl couldn't have broken the glass, could it? Then he saw a gnarled branch lying on the floor surrounded by glass shards and shrugged. That was another mystery solved. The wind had blown a dead branch into the window, shattering the glass, then a mouse had got in or it had already been there, then the owl perched in the trees outside had heard or seen the mouse, flown in through the broken window, swooped down, and killed it. Then why hadn't the owl flown out through the broken window when he entered?

He suddenly realized he was putting a lot of effort in thinking about this minor event and wondered why then realized he was just trying to keep his mind off Zoey. The thought of her brought the pain back so he shook his heads and strode purposefully towards the stove to start cooking and keep his mind off Zoey.

He rummaged through the cupboards and pulled out some buns studded with sesame seeds. There were three packs each with six buns inside. Eighteen buns should be plenty especially since Dustin didn't eat very much anyway and nor did Lola as she was interested in staying slim and attractive. Vince said he would love either way which lead to a long kiss as the others pelted them with fish sticks. The memory made him pause and smile, then he got back to work. He pulled some readymade beefburgers from the freezer and set them in the microwave. He turned it on and set it to defrost for a few minutes whilst he used a knife to gently cut open the buns. He turned the cooker on and a hot blue flame flared into life. Satisfied, he pulled a pan out of the cupboards below the stove and set it on the countertop.

Then he pulled out a heavy bottle of vegetable oil, unscrewed the lid and placed it beside the pan. The microwave began bleeping, the beefburgers had defrosted. He opened it and pulled out the defrosted burgers; now they just had to cook. But first he had to get out the mustard and ketchup, unfortunately as he turned, his arm knocked over the oil bottle and it toppled over onto its side. Thick, greasy oil poured out all over the stove. As soon as the viscous liquid hit the flame, it shot upwards with a deafening roar. A blinding explosion of white light hurled him backwards and he was aware of searing pain all over his body. His clothes and bushy hair felt as if they were smoking. Then he hit a hard surface and slid to the ground, slumped against the wall. He nose detected a thick scent of burning wood and he was aware of the crackling of flames all around him. His head was throbbing and intense heat seemed to be radiating from all around him. He knew instinctively that the kitchen had caught alight. Flames roared around him. His eyes flickered open and provided them with a blurry view.

Flickering tongues of flame blazed on the worktops and the floor. The stove was enwrapped in a ball of flames. Thick, black smoke filled the air. His eyes watered and he tasted thick ash in his mouth. He spat and struggled to push himself upright. He slowly rose but then his legs buckled under him and he tumbled back against the wall. Now the microwave had been swallowed by the flames. The dials began to melt in the intense heat. Suddenly it exploded, vaporizing into a ball of mangled steel and burnt wiring. The beefburgers were turning black and he inhaled the tantalizing scent of cooking meat that momentarily overpowered the powdery taste of ash. But then the scent dissipated as the cooking burgers burnt and disintegrated in the heat. Greasy burger wrappers lying on the table ignited, suddenly a strong breeze blew into the kitchen through the open door and the flames flared up as oxygen gushed into the fire. The heat was becoming unbearable. The wind swept up the burning wrappers and shred of burning paper drifted into the dining hall like scraps of burning lace. Sparks hit the floor. The insulation in the tiled floor began to smoke then ignited. A raging wall of flame swept through the hall, Fire exploded through the windows, blowing out the glass panes, scattering glass and burning debris in all directions. Hooting with alarm, the owl sprang from the branch before flying to safety as a plank of burning wood hit the tree it had been perched in. Now he'd never get out. His legs buckled again and he collapsed into a crumpled heap.

He thought of his parents and wondered if they were alive, after all they had never figured out what happened to everyone else. Whether they were dead or just vanished was still a mystery, if they were alive, then he hoped they would be ok without him and would eventually recover from his death. If they were dead, then he hoped to be joining them soon, wherever they were. He thought of his friends and said mental farewells to each of them in turn; Michael, Logan, Vince, Lola, Quinn, Dustin and Elvis. He hoped they would cope without him. Finally he thought of Zoey as his reality faded to black…


	7. Fire!

**Chapter Seven: Recovery**

Michael sighed "Man, what are we gonna do? We gotta talk to Chase about Zoey." "We could try bringing it up at diner" Vince suggested. The teenager thought for a minute, then shook his head "Na it's too public. Plus we don't wanna embarrass Zoey and Chase can still run away." Logan spoke up "But everyone already knows what happened to Zoey wouldn't be that embarrassed. Dustin probably already knows and if he doesn't he's her brother he won't tease her about it. If Chase tries to run, we'll block the exits and he's not a fighter. We can go now and tell Lola and Quinn the plan. Then when he has nowhere to go, he'll have no choice but to talk." He finished and sat back, impressed with his own ingenuity. The two teenagers thought for a moment then Michael spoke "That might actually work. I'm surprised." Vince nodded, grinning "Yeah good work man." The curly haired boy nodded "Yeah I know." He said proudly. Then he frowned as the double meaning of Michael's statement hit him. "Hey!" He protested as Michael doubled up laughing.

Suddenly the floor shook and a rumble sounded off in the distance. Elvis yapped and Einstein's ears pricked up. The three teenagers paused "What was that?" Michael asked slowly. Logan shrugged "It's probably some plane crashing out in the city. Why, don't tell me you're scared?" He taunted, grinning. Michael snorted "No of course I'm not scared." He replied and tried to cover his shock. Vince just watched and shook his head.

The two argued like siblings yet worked brilliantly together and clearly thought highly of each other. Suddenly Einstein scrambled up and began barking sharply at the window. Michael turned to the excited animal to draw attention away from himself." What is it boy?" The shaggy yellow dog barked again whilst wagging his bushy tail. Logan frowned; turned in the direction the dog was gazing and glanced out of the window disinterestedly. Then he whipped back towards the window and his eyes widened in alarm Vince was gazing at the floor as if in deep thought and Michael was stroking the excited dog as it panted "Michael, Vince look!" Both turned and looked in the direction Logan was pointing. A towering column of dense grey smoke billowed high into the air from behind a dense grove of spruce trees. Below the towering smoke column, they saw the fierce glow of a huge fire.

"Oh my god, look at that! That's coming from somewhere on campus!" Michael exclaimed. Suddenly Vince snapped his fingers "It's coming from the cafeteria!" Michael's eyes bulged "Chase is in the cafeteria!" He scrambled to his feet and sprinted out of the room, Logan and Vince exchanged startled looks then leapt up and raced after him. Logan quickly pulled the door shut to stop Einstein or Elvis following then ran after Vince and Michael. From behind he heard whining and scratching but it was safer if the dogs stayed away from the site. The trio raced out of the dormitory.

They could see the great orange glow from the fire even above the treetops. Michael turned to the pair. "I gotta find Chasse! You guys go get Lola, Quinn and Zoey!" Logan shook his head "Chase is my best friend too. I'm coming with you." He said fiercely. A steely look had entered his eyes and he stood as if challenging Michael to try and stop him. He realized he was still holding his favourite basketball and threw it aside. He'd come back to get it later. Michael simply nodded and the pair ran towards the smoke column as Vince sprinted off towards the girls' dormitory. He ran in and burst into the girl's room. They looked up with surprise as Vince suddenly appeared in the doorway. Lola frowned at his frantic expression "What happened?" "Fire, in the café, Chase is in there!" Their eyes went wide with shock and Lola raised her hand to her mouth with shock. Suddenly Zoey's eyes widened and she scrambled to her feet "Chase is inside?!"" She demanded. Vince nodded and beckoned to the trio "Michael and Logan are waiting for us at the fire. Come on!"

He turned and ran with the girls sprinted after him. They ran across campus towards the towering smoke column in the distance. "Is he okay?" Lola asked as they ran. Vince shook his head sadly "We don't know." Zoey closed her eyes and struggled to hold back the tears. She willed herself to run faster and was soon sprinting ahead of the others. The others watched with surprise and tried to keep pace. The heat was growing stronger and the breeze blew in the bitter scent of burned wood.

The smoke column was much larger now and occasionally, sparks blew past in the wind. Thankfully there were no trees or flammable materials in the area. Pieces of burning debris littered the ground they passed a blackened wooden plank lying up against a scorched tree. The leaves and vegetation had all burned away, leaving just the blackened trunk and several tattered branches.

The ground was planted concrete slabs and the surroundings buildings were built from stone and all the glass windows were shut. As they turned the corner, the heat blasted them and they slowed to avoid burning their exposed skin.

Logan was standing just ahead, staring with shock at the burning café. Michael stood even closer to the building, yelling Chase's name repeatedly with his hands cupped around his mouth. His shouts almost went unheard in the roaring of the flames. The cafeteria windows had blown out from the heat and flames roared through the openings. The double doors stood wide open. Both doors leaned forwards as their runners melted in the intolerable heat. Before long, the blackened doors would fall down, blocking the main entrance. Inside the cafe, small fires raged near the walls. Many of the tables had collapsed and charred or still-burning debris littered the floor. Chase was stranded in there, somewhere amongst the burning wreckage.

Vince turned to the girls, looking desperate. "What are we gonna do?!" His eyes were wild in the light from the fire and his hands were shaking. Lola shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. Quinn too shook her head, her lip was trembling and tears glistened in her eyes. Logan turned and spotted them. His eyes widened and he came running to Quinn. He grabbed her hands and pulled her to him, trying to comfort her as she cried into his shirt. His face was pinched as he tried to hold in his emotions and he took a deep, shuddering breath. Suddenly, they spotted Michael moving forward towards the burning building. Vince's eyes widened "What is he doing?!" Logan yelled "Dude, are you crazy?! You'll be baked alive!" He didn't appear to have even heard them.

He no longer cared about the heat or the flames; he had to get to Chase. He was hurt or unconscious, he just had to be, otherwise, why hadn't he heard them? Something was wrong. Chase needed him. At last, the roaring flames forced him back and he yelled out, clenching his hands into fists with mounting anger. He was shouting and his voice was becoming ragged but he refused to give up. Unclenching his fists, he let his anger drain and tried again "Chase, if you can hear us please answer me!" There was no response.

The trees nearby was now burning and the wind blew sparks far and wide. Hot cinders showered the square, forcing them to back away as a breeze whipped through the plaza and stirred up the flames. Pieces of burning debris tumbled down. Before long the wind would spread sparks to the field where there were plenty of tall spruce trees, then it would spread to the dormitories which had open windows…

Tears ran down Zoey's face as she watched the scene with mounting horror. She cupped her hands around her mouth "Chase!" "Chase, where are you?! "Chase, please, answer me!" There was no response. She tried again "Chase please!" She was begging now. Her friends watched with sadness as her voice ended in a sob.

The smoke column was building and pieces of burning wood were hurtling out of the building. Ragged holes were forming in the ceiling as the concrete supports began to weaken in the building. Before long the columns would begin to crumble then the concrete roof would split and give in, burying the café and Chase under tonnes of concrete, splintered wood and twisted metal…

Suddenly she heard yapping behind her. They turned as Elvis ran into the square. The little dog was bounding towards them, yelping furiously. Logan lunged to grab him but the terrier dodged his hands. The brave little dog ran up to Michael and stared at the burning building. A blazing cupboard door crashed down close by, exploding into splinters upon impact, Michael started at the crash but the feisty dog paid no attention, instead sniffing the air with its wet nose

Suddenly he yelped and bounded fearlessly towards the burning entrance. Flames flickered around the doors. The metal runners were rapidly turning to sludge and drops of molten metal dripped down. The dog stopped beside the doors and gazed back at them. One wooden door snapped off its hinges and collapsed. Suddenly Michael's eyes widened as understanding hit him. The terrier had found Chase's scent and distinguished it from any other scents and was tracking the scent to its source. Chase was unconscious and couldn't move to Elvis could track him down using his refined nose. His eyes lit up and he grinned then ran up to the dog. "Go ahead boy! Lead the way!" He was dimly aware of his friends shouting behind him but he paid them no attention. He could save Chase. Yelping, the terrier scrambled over the broken door. Michael carefully dodged the flames and climbed through the burning doors after him. His friends' shouts soon were lost in the roaring from the flames.

His eyes watered from the intense heat and he doubled over, coughing. Through blurred eyes, le pressed on. He was sweating instantly and his lungs burned from the fierce heat. His ears were full of roaring as though one hundred lions had him surrounded. Fallen tables and broken benches barred his path. Exposed wiring spat sparks and chunks of concrete from the ceiling littered the floor.

Ragged shreds of burning insulation lay scattered around the room like cotton balls. Small fires flickered around him. The floor smoked in places as the tiles smoldered and he picked his way carefully through the mess. The heat was incredible. The small room felt like furnace. Ahead, he spotted Elvis picking through the debris as sure-footed as over. The dog yapped urgently and he struggled to keep up. The heat was incredible and his foot caught on the smoking ruin of an upturned bench.

He quickly regained his balance and eventually came to a wooden door. The paint was peeling away in the heat and he spotted wisps of smoke curling out from under it. He grabbed the handle then let go, cursing. The handle was baking. Elvis scrabbled at the door, whining, and then gazed back at him, tail wagging and panting. His wiry fur was clogged with dust and he appeared to be panting harder in the heat but he seemed determined to reach Chase. Michael squared his shoulders. Chase was just behind this door and the handle was too hot to touch. His skin was searing as he stumbled backwards to think of this next move.

Outside, Lola, Quinn, Lola and Vince were standing in a line. They were all holding hands tightly as though afraid to let go. Their throats were hoarse from shouting and the intense heart scorched their exposed heat. They had gone as close as they dared but the building smoke cloud and the raging flames kept them back.

The ground around them was littered with blackened or burning wreckage that been sent flying out of the burning building. All the nearby trees had been reduced to blackened stumps. Thankfully, the wind had died so sparks hadn't spread across campus, not yet at least. As they watched the second door fell inward, hitting the other door and forming an arch of smoking wood. Both doors were doused in liquefied metal from the melted runners. Amazingly, despite the heat, Zoey was still standing incredibly close to the blazing cafe. She was still shouting over and over again despite the hot, dry air. Her voice was ragged and several times, sobs overcame her.

It was painful for both Lola and Quinn to see their best friend, the fierce and feisty Zoey Brooks, so distraught but hey best friend-turned-boyfriend was trapped in a burning cafeteria on the verge of collapse. Their tears were for her, they felt her anguish and longed to comfort her but they knew there was nothing they could do. She was alive and they felt somewhat glad she would live but the accident would leave her an emotional wreck. In a way, they would lose her too. They also wept for their good friends, Chase and Michael, best friends for life who it seemed would die together. Losing Chase was bad enough, now it seemed like they would lose Michael too.

Logan meanwhile was numb with shock. Chase and Michael were his best friends. They had been his roommates for 5 years and they'd had both good and bad times. They had formed a close bond. He thought of them like his brothers, though he'd never admit it. It would be bad enough to lose Chase, his funny, goofy, accident prone friend, but if Michael was lost too then he didn't know what he'd do; jokey, laugh-out-loud, outgoing Michael who could make even Quinn breathless with laughter.

Vince hadn't known Zoey, Michael or Chase for very long but they were all funny, lively and outgoing in their own ways. He had grown really close to each of them and especially Chase and Michael, as they were now two of his good friends. To lose them both at once would be unbearable. And to lose Zoey too would be an awful tragedy. He hoped against hope Chase's courageous little dog could lead them out alive.

Suddenly they jolted. Zoey was moving towards the burning entrance. Logan and Quinn ran after her, they refused to lose Zoey too. Vince and Logan were yelling after them and started forwards but the heat swelled from the burning cafeteria, and they were unwillingly held back by the fierce flames. Finally, the heat and blowing cinders forced the desperate pair back to their individual partners, where they watched, weeping, as their best friend went willingly to her death. The group watched with helplessness and shock as they lost another companion to the raging inferno. Even Logan was dissolving into tears as he held Quinn in a comforting embrace and Vince could barely hold back the lump in his throat as he held Lola, supporting her as she cried.

They heard a horse snorting and turned to see Winchester go thundering past, snorting with alarm, Einstein ran close behind but unlike before he wasn't chasing the stallion. The heat had spread to the parking lot and the scent of smoke had whipped the horse into a panic. The terrified animal had kicked the garage door open and fled. The large dog had broken the hinges after detecting the scent of smoke and battered the door open then run off. But they let the animals go. They couldn't get off the campus. Their range was restricted by the electrified chain-link fence that encircled the school.

Beyond Pacific Coast Academy, the glow from the building inferno was visible for miles as dusk set in over the city. With no electric lights or glowing billboards, any light was easily visible and the towering column of smoke made the burning building even more obvious. The district PCA was built in was virtually deserted. Animals both big and small had moved on deeper into the city to avoid being too close to the smoke column. Even predators didn't dare hunt so close to a natural hazard.

In a nearby pasture, woolly sheep and dairy cattle milled about in the long grass. Gentle lowing and bleating filled the air. Around a dozen horses of various colours grazed and trotted about whilst a noble fawn stallion watched over the foals. The scene almost like a typical countryside scene from the time of humans but the barbed wire fence had been torn down by an animal much larger than a cow or a horse.

Also, there were several non-native species dotting the surrounding fields; a small group of water buffalo, a black rhinoceros grazing quietly and a large group of kangaroos placidly sat on their haunches. Several carried young in their pouches. A hulking elephant crashed noisily through the trees lining the pasture. Its trumpeting alone kept the predators away as it browsed on foliage from the treetops.

Birds wheeled into the air and several snarling dogs skulked through the long grass as they circled the herds of grazing herbivores and tried to pick out a target. The pack comprised of a pitbull, an American bulldog, a doberman, a rottweiler, a vicious husky and a powerful hound of mixed breed. Meanwhile a pair of lions watched from the shadows, growling and sniffing, and waited for the right moment to strike.

Beyond Pacific Coast Academy, life went on as normal. The animals knew not about the life and death situation playing out in the burning school. If there was a way of telling them know they would pay no attention. They were wild creatures, for them, every day was a life and death struggle. Anther death meant little to them. Even if everyone at PCA died, life would change little for the animals. Life would go on and the world would keep turning. Even feral pets and livestock would eventually forget the time of humans after generations of free breeding erased all traces of domestication.

Zoey had suddenly realized she was holding a strip of cloth in one hand which she'd brought from her dormitory; she'd been using it to wipe her eyes, and a bottle of water which she'd also been holding unknowingly. She had placed both items on the ground to yell for Chase, but whilst yelling she'd realized she could use both items to help Chase and Michael. She'd looked down at the items and suddenly a wonderful brainwave hit her and she'd nearly wept with relief. Wishing she'd thought of it before, she'd followed the technique she'd seen rescuers and heroes perform when entering burning buildings in TV programmes or films on campus. She'd unscrewed the lid on the bottle of the water, soaked the cloth with it, and tied it around her mouth like a bandana and marched determinedly towards the furnace.

She heard Lola and Quinn screaming her name but she blocked them out. She was ready now. It was as though someone had injected adrenaline into her bloodstream, she felt suddenly full of energy and ready to go. Chase would not die today and nor would Michael or Elvis. She would get him back and then she'd she'd hold him tight, never let go and kiss him senseless, fighting be dammed. Then Michael and Chase's dog would be safe as well and they could all share a hug and be together again.

The wet cloth made breathing much easier and she felt like she could breathe normally, despite the hot air, cinders and smoke filling the building. She approached the entrance and scrambled through the burning gap without hesitation. She climbed over the smouldering pile of broken wood from the collapsed doors and into the café. The heat scorched her exposed skin but luckily she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a long skirt. Hot cinders landed in her hair and she could only hope it didn't ignite.

Hey eyes streamed from the intense heat and through blurred eyes she scanned the burning room. The floor was littered with scorched debris and then, from up ahead, she heard a small dog yapping. "Michael?" "Michael, is that you?" She called out. The cloth muffled her voice but she dared not pull it down for fear of the blazing hot air entering her lungs. Suddenly Elvis bounded over a table and ran up to her. The dog yelped and crouched down to stroke his fur "Where's Michael?" She asked the courageous animal. Then a voice sounded above the roaring inferno "Zoey?" "Michael!" She followed the sounds of his voice and climbed over a fallen table with Elvis bounding and clambering determinedly after her. Then she saw him standing beside a closed door and holding one hand close to his chest. "Zoey what are you doing here?" "I came to help you find Chase!" "No, you have to leave. It's way too dangerous here!" "Do you wanna argue or find Chase?" She asked. Michael rolled his eyes at her stubbornness but gave in "He's behind this door I think but I can't open it. The handle's too hot."

"Break it down!" "What? I can't! What if there's more fire behind it!" She saw his point and hesitated "Then how are we gonna get to chase?" Elvis suddenly let out a high-pitched yelp and cowered behind Michael's legs. They looked up to see the source of the terrier's unease. The section of roof above them creaked alarmingly. The tiles and insulation had burnt through and now the ceiling itself was about to give way. Michael clenched his fists and suddenly changed his mind. They were running out of time. "I'm gonna try knocking it down." Zoey looked at him uneasily but stepped back. Elvis ran up beside her and watched the teenager intently through knowing eyes.

Michael stepped back several paces then ran up and rammed the door with his shoulder. Shards of wood spun away and the panels splintered. The stricken door split at the hinges and flew open. Michael stumbled with surprise and almost fell but Zoey grabbed his arm and pulled him up just before he fell directly into a burning table. "Thanks!" He gasped out. She gave him a knowing smile "Not so dangerous for girls after all?" He just rolled his eyes then Elvis darted past into the room, yapping, and stopped beside a prone figure. Zoey's eyes lit up with joy. "Chase!" She exclaimed and knelt beside him. She shook him but her smile dropped when he remained unresponsive. Michael knelt beside her and checked over the teenager. His clothes were blackened and cinders glowed in his hair but he appeared to be okay. Michael exhaled with a sigh of relief "He's alright, he's okay. He's just out cold."

Zoey clapped her hands with joy and felt like crying with happiness. Michael looked deeply relieved and they hugged in the joy of the moment. Suddenly Elvis barked sharply and the ceiling groaned alarmingly. Pieces of concrete began raining down like hailstones. They shot each other alarmed looks. "We gotta get out of here!" Michael cried. Zoey nodded and they both slung an arm under Chase's shoulders. They stood and hoisted the teenager to his feet. He was heavier than expected despite his lankiness and they struggled to support him as they literally carried him through the rubble. "He's heavy!" Michael grunted. Zoey rolled her eyes "Oh grow up and carry like a man!" They entered the main hall and picked their way through the burning ruins.

Small pieces of concrete and dust showered them. The roof groaned and rumbled ominously overhead. Zoey cast a quick glance to the side and saw that one of the concrete columns supporting the roof was cracking and chipping in the heat. Several others columns were also weakening.

The roof grumbled again and a considerable piece of concrete plummeted from the roof, crushing a table to splinters. Dust and splintered wood flew out in all directions. They both cringed and Elvis yelped urgently at their feet, ears lowered. Zoey turned to move but then spotted that Michael was frozen with fear, eyes wide and gazing at the lump of concrete.

"Michael!" She shouted. He turned to her with a look that that she had seen in the eyes of frightened animals "Move!" Zoey yelled. He suddenly jerked back to reality, grabbed Chase's arm and they pressed on but with considerable speed. They stumbled on pieces of concrete and Zoey stubbed her toes on an upturned bench, she hissed in pain but didn't dare slow to look at the injury. The ceiling sounded about to give out. Michael was breathing hard in the heat but pressed on, supporting Chase's limp figure.

Suddenly an urgent yelp stopped him in their tracks. They turned to see Elvis standing atop a bench. The path in front of them was now blocked by the crushed table and the fallen concrete chunk. The agile little dog could easily jump over the obstacle but the flames were taking hold and now a thin veil of flame separated them from him; his primal instinct kicked in and he'd frozen, unwilling to jump but the mass of crushed wood below was catching light and soon the wooden table would ignite. "Come on!" Zoey urged the dog. He yapped and stepped forward but the flames crackled and he skittered backwards, whining. "Come!" She insisted clicking her fingers to add emphasis to the instruction. "He can't! He's scared of the fire!" Michael told her.

The ceiling groaned and another section of concrete crashed to the ground. The floor shook under their feet. "We have to go!"" Zoey shouted. Michael hesitated "We can't just leave him here!" Then finally, the little dog bunched his muscles and leaped straight over the burning debris, landing perfectly by their feet. "Great. Now let's go!" Zoey yelled. Michael nodded and they hurriedly went on with Elvis darting ahead to show them a clear path. Pieces of concrete randomly collapsed, filling the air with stone and dust. Dust mixed with smoke reducing visibility and the heat was growing fiercer as fallen concrete fuelled the inferno. Their eyes were streaming and the roof was rumbling above their heads but Elvis' yapping provided them with a clear route. They were relying purely on hearing now not sight to find their way out. They were both sweating in the fierce heat

Finally the yelping died off and they paused, for a moment panicked, then the dusty smoke haze cleared for a moment and Zoey caught sight of the twilight sky up ahead and felt the strong breeze whipping up the dusty ash. She stumbled onwards and Michael followed. Finally they were out into the open air with a breeze whipping around them. The oppressive heat died and the wind dried the sweat on their clothes. They both fell onto their hands and knees, gasping for breath, taking in deep lungful of the cooler air and spitting out the ash in their mouths. Zoey shook cinders out of her hair. Their clothes and faces were smudged with dirt and their clothes were blackened. They were breathing hard and exhausted but alive and they'd got Chase out.

From behind there came a deep rumbling and sound of crashing masonry. Then the crumbling stone roof split apart, crashing down in a roaring storm of noise and mess. Clouds of dust and debris blasted into the air alongside the building smoke column which began to dissipate as the collapsing rubble extinguished the roaring inferno. The oppressive heat died away and the breeze still whipped around the square but only scattered ashes. The floor trembled from the force of the impact and it triggered a powerful gust of wind that blew out the flames consuming the nearby trees. The square was strewn with scorched and blackened debris ranging from ash to broken pieces of wood.

The smoke column had dissipated and the dust clouds were dispersing, pieces of debris were still plummeting but these were fairly small. A huge slab of concrete suddenly plummeted down, striking a tree and snapping it like a twig. Splintered wood and leaves swirled out as the tree fell over followed by the slab slamming down with an impact that shook the ground the knocked them to their knees. Dust and splinters of stone filled the air they coughed and waved their hands to clear the dust. They both started and Elvis growled, baring his teeth. Michael laughed nervously "It's all right boy." Then he relaxed and his face split into a grin "Well, now I know how the dinosaurs felt when the comet hit." Michael said with a grin. Zoey rolled her eyes at his ability to crack a joke in any situation, no matter the seriousness. Elvis yapped at their side and they spotted Winchester trotting uncertainly up to them. Michael got up and patted the horse's neck "Hey boy. How'd you get out?" The animal snorted in response.

Zoey sat watching him stroking the horse with amusement. Suddenly Chase stirred and uttered a pained moan. She gasped and turned to him, feeling hope swelling within her." Chase! Oh my god, you're alive! Are you ok?" Michael whipped around then dropped to his knees and grabbed the teenager by his shoulders before shaking him. "Chase! Are you ok?! Speak to me man!" He shouted. Zoey eased him away and signaled him to stay calm although her mind was a stormy mess of thoughts. They both turned to their blackened friend and waited for a response. For a moment he stayed silent but then he coughed and his eyes fluttered open, fixing her with the captivating gaze of his stormy green eyes. "Hey, be careful Zoe. The café caught fire." He said weakly. She uttered a choked laugh then spoke again "How do you feel?" He shrugged "Alright, slightly sore and my mouth tastes of ash. What happened?" "The cooker exploded and set fire to the building." Michael explained. He turned his head and smiled "Hey man." Michael grinned "Good to see you back in the land of the living man."

The bushy haired teenager smiled weakly. "How did you guys find me in all that mess?" Zoey smiled and gestured to the sturdy dog standing at their side with pricked ears and a wavering tail. His fur was streaked with dust and ash but he seemed content, tongue lolling out and yapping occasionally. "It's all thanks to Elvis. He came running went right up the fire and sniffed you out in the wreckage and we got you out. He guided us out of the fire and he ran in after you despite the heat and the smoke. He's a real hero." Chase smiled again "I knew keeping him was a good idea despite what Logan said." Michael grinned "I hear you man." Then Chase looked into Zoey's eyes and his expression changed. Michael got up and quietly retreated, clicking his fingers at Elvis to follow.

He got onto Winchester, reigns in hand. The horse snorted and shifted. They hadn't even noticed he was leaving; they were lost in each other. He flicked the reigns and spurred Winchester forward. They galloped away with Elvis darting after the horse. Einstein drew up alongside them, tongue lolling out. They charged up to the student lounge and Winchester slowed before coming to a stop. Lights were blazing in some of the windows and from inside Michael heard the sound of quiet sobbing. He grinned and rubbed his hands together as he recognized the opportunity to surprise his friends. He slipped off the horse and tied his reigns to a cycle stand. He placed a finger to his lips to signal to the dogs to stay silent. Einstein understood and quietly lay down. Elvis whined and his tongue lolled out but he obediently fell silent. The teenager grinned and put a plan together…


	8. Dustin Disappears

**Chapter Seven: Recovery**

They had waited for as long as possible but then the ground shook and parts of the roof had caved in, filling the air with dust and burnt debris. Logan and Vince had backed away but Lola and Quinn had refused to run instead staying put. Unfortunately, flames soon sprang through the wreckage and caught hold again, fuelled by oxygen. The dust and smoke only worsened conditions and the raging inferno eventually forced them back. They had retreated to the student lounge and just stumbled into seats where they now sat unmoving and numb with grief. The reality still hadn't sunk in yet; they were still trying to understand what had happened. Even from here they'd heard the sound of crashing masonry as the building collapsed and felt the ground trembling. The noise seemed to finally knock it home; Chase, Zoey and Michael weren't coming back. They hadn't got out in time and the burning building had crumbled down around them. Now they were gone forever.

Dusk had deepened into full-on night and darkness had fallen over the city; a pitch black depth that seemed never ending. Clouds had block out most of the moonlight, occasionally the clouds shifted and moonlight briefly filtered through but most of the light in Pacific Coast Academy came from a few streetlights on campus. Heavy rain was now falling and produced a persistent drumming on the roof of the building as it lashed the windows. Suddenly a yelp sounded and a wiry blur streaked into the room. Everyone looked up, but slowly, as though grief had numbed their muscles and limbs.

Elvis ran up to them wagging his stumpy tail. The dog's wiry fur was streaked with ash but he was alive and seemed uninjured. For a few moments, the group just stared back at the animal as though unable to believe he was okay. The wiry little dog barked at them and his tongue lolled out. Then Logan slowly got up, he walked over to the dog, crouched down and pulled the small dog into his arms. He sat back in the chair and held the animal close, ignoring the strong scent of wet fur. Hugging the terrier was comforting and helped to quell the tears building in his eyes; it reminded him that Elvis was all he had left of his two best friends. Quinn placed a hand on his shoulder and reminded him that he wasn't alone. He still had her. This thought brought a small smile to his face but it didn't stop the rising tide of grief inside him. Then, from outside, they heard a horse snorting. Quinn stood up, crossed over to the window and pulled back the blinds. Through a blurry haze; they spotted Michael's horse was standing outside, shaking its head as the rain poured down. However no-one felt inclined to lead the animal to shelter.

From outside they heard the horse neighing again above the relentless drumming of the rain. Vince groaned "Look can someone put that horse in a dry to shut it up please?" No one felt prepared to however as the horse had belonged to Michael and with him gone; it was as though the stallion was now untouchable. Then Quinn opened the blinds again to see the horse straining on its reigns to find shelter from the downpour. Suddenly a thought hit her and she frowned "Did any of you guys tie the horse up?" The others all frowned and shook their heads. Then the young scientist frowned "Well someone tied him to that cycle stand." Then a thought hit her and her eyes widened as she spun back around to face the others "You don't think…."

Outside, Michael was chilled and his clothes were damp. The spruce tree he was standing under was insufficient at providing shelter as the branches blew in the wind, showering him with rain. The breeze cut into him and he was becoming cold fast. He had to put his plan into action fast. He just had to wait for one of his friends to come and pull Winchester out of the rain. He had left the great horse tied up right outside the window intentionally so he would be easily visible in the dark, rainy plaza and so his consistent neighing would be even harder to ignore. Plus by tethering him he couldn't run to shelter, which would have ruined Michael's plan. At least he'd found a long black hooded cape lying beside the tree. The cape must have been dropped by one of the younger students when all the other humans disappeared. He felt elation; this would fit perfectly into his plan plus he'd found a charred wooden post that had come off one of the benches inside the café and had likely been blown here by the wind. It too would come in handy and the cape provided him with some warmth in the meantime.

Finally, the door swung open and Logan stepped out into the rain. He hovered in the doorway and stared out at the dark, wet plaza. Michael's eyes lit up with joy at the sight of his friend alive and well and he stepped forwards to run up and wrap him in a huge embrace. At the last moment, he suddenly remembered his plan and stopped himself. He caught sight of Logan's miserable expression and realized it wasn't just because of the poor conditions. He still thought they were all dead. He could only imagine the pain and the anguish his friend must be going through thinking his two closest male friends and one of his only true female friends were gone. He wanted to go over there and tell him everything was ok. For a moment he considered terminating his plan but decided against it. He was a joker; a natural born comedian he had to this in style. In just a few minutes they would all be reunited and everyone would be happy again.

Finally, Logan rolled his eyes and ran over to the panicking horse. He placed a hand on the horse's side to steady him and quickly loosened the reigns; the stallion snorted at the unfamiliar contact and dug his hooves into the ground. The teenager swore; already he was soaked and he was quickly becoming cold as the rain poured down. His shorts and T-shirt provided insufficient insulation against the rain. This animal had picked a bad time to be stubborn. ""Stop fighting me!" He yelled before yanking the reigns. Still the horse neighed with panic and resisted. The horse detected the teenager's anger and became more uneasy.

"I said come!" Logan ordered the frightened creature. He jerked the reigns again. Suddenly a dazzling blast of lightning crackled overhead and thunder boomed out of the glowering sky. The thunderous noise resounded around the plaza. Eyes rolling in terror, the horse reared up and started forward, Logan lost his footing and tumbled over onto the wet ground. Meanwhile, Winchester galloped away. Michael grinned and whistled. The trusty horse's ears pricked up and he veered around, running up alongside the tree. Michael smiled and got up onto the horse. Logan was slowly getting up, wiping his face. "You are kidding me!" He shouted. He hadn't noticed Michael getting on the horse. Then he spurred Winchester forward and they swept past Logan who spun around to face the sound but by then they had swept through the revolving double doors. Michael turned on the horse, grinning. They had clearly frightened the teenager. Step one was complete. Then he pulled on the reigns and they slid to a halt just outside the main lounge. He could hear voices inside the lounge. Any minute now either Vince or Lola or Quinn would look out. He was now ready to put phase two of his plan into action…

Suddenly Quinn poked her head out into the hallway. "Logan, is that you?" Grinning, Michael yanked the reigns. Winchester reared up in alarm and neighed. Quinn started and her eyes widened with horror. Michael leaned forwards atop the bucking horse and gave his most convincing cackle of "evil" laughter and brandished the broken piece of wood like a sword whilst holding onto the reigns with his other hand. Quinn screamed. Immediately, Lola and Vince rushed up to her side. Their expressions switched as they spotted the dark hooded figure atop the rearing horse. Winchester dropped back and started towards them. Lola let out an ear-piercing scream. "Lola, get back!" Quinn shouted, finding her voice Vince grabbed her and held her protectively whilst staring with disbelief at the surreal figure on the horse at the end of the hallway.

Winchester neighed. Thunder boomed outside and a flash of lightning illuminated the horse perfectly. The bright light made Winchester's eyes appear to change colour to crimson. The lightning startled the horse and it jerked forwards, snorting through its nostrils. The spooky atmosphere made even Winchester's snorting sound threatening. Michael smirked as the figures backed away. Quinn screamed again as another blast of lighting caused the horse to rear up and he let out another convincing cackle of laughter. "W-what is i-t?" Lola stuttered. "It's a ghost or a demon!" Vince exclaimed with wide eyes.

Quinn shook her head "T-that's impossible. Ghosts and spirits d-don't exist. It's scientifically i-impossible." Despite her confidence, her voice shook and she was backing up. "Quinn, get back!" Vince hissed. "Don't make it come closer!" Michael frowned; Quinn still didn't believe his convincing act. Well he just had to make it even more elaborate. He cackled and twirled the fence post above his head in an arc like a sword as Winchester shifted and snorted. "Who are you?" Vince demanded. Michael smirked and decided that enough was enough; the joke was up. He had really frightened them and made himself laugh. He'd even scared Vince which was extremely difficult as he and Logan had found out after several failed attempts to startle the burly football player.

He spurred Winchester forward a few steps and slid off the snorting stallion. Then he gave them his trademark grins "Hey guys what's up!" For a few moments, no-one spoke. They still couldn't believe that he was there and that he was the same person who had just tricked them into thinking he was a ghost. Then Elvis scurried up to him, leaping up at him happily. He grinned and crouched down to greet the little terrier. "Hey there Elvis! Who's a good boy? Yes you are, you're a great dog!" The dog barked, licking his face. Winchester shifted backwards away from the feisty dog and neighed uneasily. Then Quinn recovered her composure and stepped forwards with searching eyes.

If animals could see him and reacted to him then maybe this really was Michael. It seemed impossible as she herself had seen him go into that fire but he was here right in front of her, holding onto Elvis. He let go of the dog and he scurried away. Her logical sense kicked in and she spoke "M-Michael?" She whispered. Her voice faltered as though she couldn't believe he was really here. "He smiled "Hey Quinn. How you doing?" Then Vince stepped forwards with Lola a few steps behind and touched his shoulder as though to ensure he was really there. The teenager rolled his eyes "Would you quit it? It's me! I'm alive."

Then there was a lot of emotional crying and he was overwhelmed by hugging. Quinn and Lola took it in turns to hug him and they both cried. Vince also hugged him once; a sign of their brotherly friendship before giving him a solid thump on the back and congratulated him on the ghost prank as being convincing. Quinn and Lola briefly got mad at him for tricking them and prolonging their grief by not telling them he was alive straight away but relief overtook anger and they hugged him again. They went back to the lounge.

Their thoughts soon turned to someone else "Where are Zoey and Chase?" Lola asked, suddenly looking frantic. Quinn also nodded eagerly. Both girls were desperate to hear about their roommate. Vince also looked frantic to learn about his good friends, Zoey and Chase. He left them hanging for a moment during which their faces slowly began to fall then quickly assured him they were both alive and uninjured, just slightly shocked and covered in ash. Lola and Quinn needed several reassurances that Zoey was indeed fine whilst Vince was relieved to hear Chase was ok. He also stated that they'd gotten over their disagreement and he'd left them in peace, happily kissing as the rain clouds gathered overhead. This led to further cheering then Quinn quizzed him as to their whereabouts. He'd told them he didn't know but assured them they were probably back in one of the dormitories discussing their issues and would later have a steamy make-out. They'd be fine and by looking for them they would only interrupt them. They had reluctantly agreed.

Then Quinn suddenly gazed around looking concerned. "What's wrong?" Michael asked, unable to believe this scene could be wrong. Then she asked a very good question "Where's Logan?" Then everyone stopped short and realized amongst the celebrations they hadn't realized Logan still hadn't come back inside.

Logan's eyes narrow and he cursed. Now he was drenched and his knees were bruised from falling over on the hard floor. He pushed himself up, brushed his waterlogged hair out of his eyes and swore at the glowering sky. He didn't know long he'd been lying on the floor. He realized He'd tried to be kind and compassionate and lead the horse to its shelter in the remodeled garage. First the damn beast had resisted him then it had jumped at the stupid lightning, knocked him over and ran off as soon as he'd untied it. He'd heard movement behind him and had turned in time to see it run into the lounge, breaking the doors as it did so. Stupid horse! He trudged over to the lounge and stepped through the crushed double doors, now damaged beyond repair. A thousand kilograms of thoroughbred racehorse crashing through the doors had done a lot of damage.

Sighing he stepped through into the lounge and froze. Just ahead a towering black figure blocked his way. He realized it was a large animal and wondered how it had broken through the electric fence then he realized it was just Michael's stupid stallion. The neighing horse spun around. He ignored it and approached the lounge room but heard voices talking rapidly and excitedly. He paused, intrigued, and listened. He even heard Lola sniggering. When he'd left, the mood was somber, cold and lifeless as everyone grieved in silence. What the heck had changed in the five minutes he'd been gone? Then he heard a very familiar voice talk above the others. His eyes widened and he burst into the room.

Then Logan entered. Quinn welcomed him but he was stunned by Michael's appearance and stayed unresponsive despite the teenager's attempts to talk to him. Finally Quinn led him over and forced him to speak him to Michael to help the sports enthusiast to realize that his friend was still alive. Afterwards, Logan wrapped his friend into a fierce hug and nearly wept with joy that at least one of his roommates had come back alive. Then, embarrassed, he'd sat back and ignored the smirks and teasing comments of the others.

He was elated to learn that Chase and Zoey were both alive as well. He had grabbed and hugged Elvis when Michael told him that the courageous animal had gone inside after Chase and led him and Zoey through the flames despite the heat and burning debris. The surprised dog accepted the embrace then jumped off the couch and lay down at his feet. He accepted that Zoey and Chase needed time to work out their argument but ended the uncharacteristic show of love with a classic comment "I wonder if now Zoey will want to make out with me now that's been through a life changing situation?" In response, they all hit him at once prompting the startled teenager to retreat to another couch. Then they began to question the whereabouts of another group member. They hadn't seen Dustin since before the fire started and he must have seen the glow from the firelight. If he'd somehow missed the firelight then the rising column of smoke would have been virtually impossible to miss.

The only way he could have missed the smoke column and the glowing firelight was if he had been inside his dormitory all afternoon and not once gone outside or looked out of the windows. It was possible he'd been off playing with Einstein but when the dog ran away to seek out Zoey why hadn't he followed it? Michael had become close to the boy recently and considered him a close friend and had initially decided to go and find him but Logan and Quinn persuaded him to stay be arguing that he was likely with Zoey and Chase and if he truly was missing Zoey would have looked for him and come to tell them as he she was his older sister and cared strongly about him.

If he was with Zoey and Chase then by looking for him he would disturb them, plus it was raining heavily and the breeze was blowing around ash and burning debris all over campus. He'd just end up drenched and have ash blown into his face by the wind. He had agreed but stated he wanted to take Winchester to the makeshift stable as it wasn't fair to leave the horse confined in the hallway with no space to rest and no food. His statement reminded the others of their own hunger. None of them had eaten since lunch-time and now with a sense of normality returning they were considering other thoughts.

But the cafeteria had been consumed in flames and the fallen roof left the building in ruins. This presented another issue; where would they eat? And where would they get food? All the supermarkets and shops had been out of power for nearly two weeks now and all fresh food such as vegetables, fruits, cheese, fresh fish and whole meats would have consumed by bacteria, flies and rodents. Other food would draw in larger animals from rodents to elephants. Rotting food of any sort would provide irresistible to rats and mice whilst fruits would prove alluring to escaped elephants that would crush any obstacle in their path to reach it. Other foods in home refrigerators and freezers would have been consumed by starving dogs before they had left their homes. Any remaining food would be rotting and decomposing. The scent of rotting food in restaurants would have drawn in wolves and other hungry animals from the forests and countryside.

And the city was now a dangerous place to be. Almost all sections of the city had now been infiltrated by animals. The large herbivores tended to stay in the suburban neighbourhoods where they was more space for them to move and plenty of lawns and parks with trees and foliage where they could graze and browse. These included elephants, rhinos, buffalo and herds of other browsing animals such as cattle, sheep, zebras and horses. In turn the large carnivores stayed in these areas, living in empty houses and preying on the plentiful herbivores including the lions, tigers and cougars. Most of these animals had escaped from their cages in the city zoo or from sanctuaries although some, such as the wolves, the cougars and the grizzly bears had come in from the mountains and countryside surrounding Pacific Coast Academy.

The wolves had followed deer herds into these formerly populated cities and found abundant prey whilst bears and cougars had followed the scent of rotting food in homes and kitchens. The creatures that had escaped from the zoos were now thriving. Deer, elk and other native herbivores had also entered the empty cities to seek out new grazing territory and now stayed in the suburbs alongside the larger herbivores. Now they were thriving.

The bigger beasts such as rhinos and elephants had to struggle to find enough vegetation in the suburbs to stay healthy but had few carnivores to fear. Their huge size protected them from the big cats and even the bears. Domestic livestock had done fairly well. Those farm animals trapped in corrals, barns and stables had died but those in fields or left to roam had soon left in search of food. Initially they were decimated by predators but the stronger, faster individuals had survived and now they were rapidly developing to survive by themselves. These included goats and sheep.

However, dairy cattle had not fared so well. Dairy cattle had never had to fend for themselves; they had always been fed and watered by human beings. They were the most vulnerable of all livestock; they did know how to breed naturally but were bred through artificial insemination of females whilst calves were hand-reared by humans whilst their mothers' milk was mass produced. Most dairy cows had finished their food supplies and their water but once the power failed, water was no longer pumped into their troughs. After a few days, most dairy cows starved. Soon the fields were littered with dead dairy cows providing a feast for scavengers and predators alike. Packs of dogs in the countryside would feed on dead cows whilst they rekindled their hunting instincts.

Horses were already fast and fleet footed but now went wild and ran in herds for protection. However most types of domestic fowl including ducks, geese and chickens had died in cages or been wiped out by predators. Now only wildfowl remained. There were even a few types of great ape; chimpanzees that escaped from the city zoo lived in the deserted apartments blocks living off fruits growing in private or chards across the block and eating eggs laid by pigeons and other birds roosting in the buildings. In turn they protected the birds' nests from rats and feral cats. The chimpanzees tended to stay in the apartment blocks however, as out in the open; a lone chimpanzee was an easy target for a bear or a pack of wolves. They were intelligent and fairly strong but were still no match for the crushing power of a fully grown bear or the tenacity of hungry dogs.

Many small animals were also thriving; the city's buildings; the homes, the restaurants, the office towers, the apartments were all becoming infested with rats and mice as rodents colonized empty buildings and gorged on rotting food. Now their populations were exploding. Similarly, homes were providing shelter for forest inhabitants such as raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, coyotes and rabbits. Small pets such as rabbits in outdoor hutches and hamsters in cages had fared well. Most of these small creatures had strong jaws and teeth and had chewed their way out of their cages or tunneled out of hutches. Now they were breeding freely and thriving. Feral cats hunted these small animals whilst others roamed the high rise office towers feasting on surplus rodents. Almost building was being ruled by cats; these house pets had done incredibly well without humans, thriving in almost every building man left behind and now they were breeding.

Gangs of wild dogs ran riot; these domesticated animals had reverted into experienced hunters now they travelled in huge packs, hunting and killing. They usually targeted large animals such as horses, cattle, zebras and other similar-sized animals. They were formidable; a pack of hungry dogs were more than a match for any other carnivore; even the bears and the big cats avoided them when they could. The snarling groups of dogs roamed the streets, fighting and hunting. By night they slept in the open as unlike the cats, their prey roamed the street, instead of hiding in the empty buildings.

Dogs bred especially for military work, guarding and defending were doing especially well; rottweilers, german shepherds, Belgian shepherds, akitas, pitbulls, bulldogs, shepherds, huskies and dobermans. However dogs bred for service work and as companions were also turning killer; some labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, chesapake retrievers, beagles, spaniels and other once-submissive dogs. They were forming territories and fighting for dominance, many were breeding with wolves and coyotes and now wolves and coyotes joined dog packs and vice versa.

However many miniature dogs had been targeted and killed by the packs of bigger dogs; most toy breeds had disappeared. These included daschunds, terriers, chihuahuas, basset hounds and other small breeds. Similarly dogs bred for unique traits such as short snouts had died out as unique traits hampered their survival chances. Short-muzzled dogs such as English bulldogs, boxers, pugs and pekingese terriers had mostly disappeared. Similarly fast, lightweight racing dogs such as whippets, lurchers and greyhounds had vanished as they did not have the power to fight for survival.

Then Michael's face lit up and he snapped his fingers "I got it!" Everyone turned to him "Well eat in Sushi Rox. Think about it; it's got tables, chairs and all the same equipment that was in the cafeteria." For a moment everyone was nodding then Logan spoke up "Dude, that'll never work!" The teenager frowned "Why not?" We can't just eat sushi every day for every meal, coming up next on duh!" At this the others frowned. Quinn nodded "He's right. Sushi alone won't provide us with all the nutrients we need to stay healthy. Even if we eat all the other types of oriental food, it's still not enough variety to keep us healthy." Logan grinned "Of course I'm right. It's all thanks to you, you taught me." She smiled at him. Vince sighed "Look let's focus on our immediate problem all right guys." Then Michael grinned "I got it!" Logan rolled his eyes "What idea is it this time?" "Chase used to work for Kazu right? He worked at Sushi Rox for like two whole semester's right?"

Lola nodded "How does that help us?" "Well he was telling me once about the kitchen and the pantry where they keep the raw fish and the other food supplies and he was telling us they keep other supplies in there; other food; rice, weenies, burgers and other food stores. They store there in case something happens to the cafeterias, like I dunno, a fire, so that until another food delivery arrives at the school they can still give us our food. It's not loads but it'll keep us going for a while I mean it's better than nothing and Sushi Rox still has an oven and microwaves and a cooker. Chase and Zoey can cook and make food, you know, once they finish making out." At this everyone nodded. Vince grinned "That's excellent. Good job man." The teenager nodded grinning. "Yeah one of your crazy ideas might actually work." "Thanks ma-hey!" He protested. The teenager smirked "Now you how I feel."

"Yeah but, unlike you, most of my ideas work!" "Yeah like your idea to grow a moustache?" Logan retorted before cracking a grin at the memory. Michael opened his mouth to reply but Lola cut him off. "Stop it! God, you've only been back for like ten minutes and already you guys are fighting?" The two teenagers merely shrugged.

Outside Pacific Coast Academy, an African bull elephant lumbered down the road. The enormous animal had escaped from the city zoo a few hours after the electricity failed. With the power grid failing, the hungry elephant had rammed the electric fence only to find it off. So, the animal had torn down the inactive chain-link fence with its trunk and wandered out of its enclosure, past the empty lion enclosure, before heading out of the zoo and into the suburbs to forage for grasses and vegetation. The lions had already got loose after digging in the dirt under the gate of their cage. After a few days, the loose gate fell open and the starving lions got out into the city. Since then elephant had wandered the city, browsing freely and travelling almost constantly to search out fresh vegetation.

The pachyderm had encountered predators during its time in the suburbs such as a dog tied in a backyard that had barked crazily at the unfamiliar giant passing through the neighborhood. The dog had never seen such a large animal before. Paying no attention to it, the elephant had smashed through the low brick wall and begun browsing on trees in the property's backyard.

Once it had eaten its fill, the elephant had wandered over to the swimming pool, dipped its trunk in and drunk. The persistent canine had pulled on its chain, dragging the kennel over to the pool and barked again mere inches from the elephant. The startled elephant had trumpeted furiously, curling its trunk over its head as a warning. The terrified dog had let out a pitiful whine, run into its doghouse and let out a soft bark before cowering until the beast had left. Only a few hours later, the elephant had seen the same dog run past the property, with a torn rope tied to its collar. Neither the dog nor the elephant had known it but that had been the last sign of life to leave the house; the human occupants would never return nor would the family dog as it had also abandoned the property. Once the pets had gone, houses and apartments would be truly empty. Lonely and forgotten, they would only be occupied by dust and leaves.

A few days later, the elephant had come across two lionesses out hunting near a deserted shopping centre complex near the city centre but they had ignored it as there were easier targets; chicken and beef burgers now sitting unguarded in three fast food-shops located within the complex. Warm meat burgers were far better targets than a healthy, adult African elephant weighing five tonnes On another occasion, the elephant had been browsing on trees in a garden centre when a stag raced past outside, visible through the glass-paneled wall, closely followed by two or three grey wolves. Moments later, it heard the stag's desperate bellowing followed by excited howls, then struggling noises and the stag's grunting died away followed by snarling and sound of teeth gnawing on bone.

Suddenly a pack of dogs ran around the corner, snarling and barking. The dogs had caught its scent from across the block despite the rain and wind but they were in for a shock; they were now experienced killers. These were not the same as the submissive animal it had scared off in the suburbs; that had been a domestic animal reliant on others for food and protection. These were experienced and dangerous carnivores and there were nine of them but an elephant was not a beast to fight. This was a massive animal; it weighed as much as 10,000 pounds and it stood nearly 13 feet tall. Its huge feet could crush and its trunk delivered powerful blows. The elephant sent its trunk writhing upward as it bellowed a warning. The dogs halted about a metre away, barking. Their coats were unkempt, their teeth long and sharp and their posture indicated these were now wild animals. The pack consisted of a rottweiler, a husky, a German shepherd, a golden retriever and a wiry foxhound.

The dogs circled the elephant snapping at its feet and barking whilst the large mammal watched them, turning occasionally to ensure it could see all of them. Snarling, the doberman lunged but the elephant whipped out its trunk, sweeping it aside. The dog tumbled to the ground then twisted back to its feet, barked defiantly at the elephant and ran into a grocery store. The husky darted in close, nipping at its legs, but easily dodged the pachyderm's crushing feet. Then the foxhound made a leap at the elephant, latching on to it with its razor sharp teeth but the beast tossed its trunk, hurling the dog clear.

The dog's body twisted in an arc as it slammed to the ground, whimpered and twitched once, then lay still. The other dogs then scattered in all directions, barking with alarm. Having driven off the predators, the elephant ambled on rumbling occasionally as it trudged on through the downpour.

Back at Pacific Coast Academy, Chase and Zoey lay on the singled bed in Room 101 gazing contentedly at one another. After Michael left, they had continued their kissing for several minutes, only taking short pauses to breathe until the sky darkened and the rain began. They had ignored the water initially and continued kissing in the torrential downpour but as it grew worse, they had finally pulled apart and after agreeing to an unspoken pact, they had grabbed each other's hands and the sodden pair had run through the storm, laughing, to Zoey's dormitory where they had stumbled, dripping wet, into Room 101.

They had dried their hair and clothes with towels from the dormitory bathroom before returning then having a long and heartfelt conversation without the somewhat irritating presence of all their friends. This was a talk to be had alone. Zoey had even shut the door in case one of their dogs wandered in. The pair had a habit of roaming from dormitory to dormitory looking for attention and they didn't want any interruptions. Chase had explained that he had felt hurt she hadn't been totally honest with him, she had replied she had never meant to upset him, he said that he knew that but he had hoped that despite agreeing to remain free neither would date others, he certainly hadn't. Zoey had apologized for not being honest to which he had forgiven her but admitted he had actually forgiven her hours ago in reply she had laughed and they had settled into one of their easy going conversations. Now they lay on Zoey's bed and just stared at one another.

Outside, thunder rumbled and blasts of lightning crackled. Lightning had ignited several wildfires in the city and without emergency services, these infernos raged out of control, consuming skyscrapers and buildings. The business district had many multistory office towers that would be ravaged by the flames. The flames would sweep the suburbs and destroy houses and trailer homes. High rise apartments would be destroyed by the flamers as they swept through the floors. Wooden homes would burn down completely but concrete structures would suffer less damage. Trees and vegetation taking root in deserted buildings would fuel the flames. The city's main bank would remain largely intact as the underground steel vaults would protect the paper money inside. Most animals would flee the inferno. The creatures caught in the flames or overwhelmed by the acrid smoke would perish but their species would move on.

Eventually the rainwater pouring down would put out these wildfires before they consumed the city and the blackened buildings would provide habitats for plants and allow birds to fly in and build nests. The rain from the thunderstorm would deluge the buildings and some suburbs would flood. Dogs would have to flee before the neighborhood flooded or swim to higher ground. The cats would have to hope the buildings they were living in were left untouched by the flames. Portions of the city would be consumed in flames whilst other parts would be inundated with water. The flooding would extinguish the larger fires when flames met the rising water. Many animals would flee to the city outskirts to escape the flooding and the wildfires before returning when the water had receded and the fires had died.

Meanwhile, there was a sharp knock at the door. The pair started then exchanged grins "It's probably Logan or Michael. They're probably worried about me." He said. Zoey suddenly realized with a jolt that she hadn't told either Lola or Quinn she was okay. Hey still probably still thought she was gone or badly wounded. Then she remembered Michael would probably have told everyone the story and felt slightly better but knew she had to speak to her roommates. Chase got up and opened the door. Elvis trotted into the room, wagging his long tail, Chase crouched down and petted the dog." Hey there Elvis. Where is everyone?" Zoey got up and frowned. "Where's Quinn and Lola?" She looked out into the hallway. Suddenly, Michael and Logan burst out of hiding in the adjacent room and yelled "Surprise!" simultaneously.

She cried out with surprise, lost her balance and stumbled back into Chase. They both collapsed backwards onto the bed whilst Michael and Logan doubled up laughing. Elvis barked furiously, only adding to the commotion. Chase and Zoey finally freed themselves; Chase staggered upright then offered his hand to Zoey and helped to her feet. "Okay you guys are officially the worst." He said to two grinning teenagers. "Na, I'd say we're the best." Logan replied confidently, Michael grinned and extended his right hand "Give me five, man." He met the hand with his own enthusiastically before turning to smirk at the disgruntled pair. Zoey rolled her eyes and folded her arms in a huff whilst Chase turned back to his friends.

"Okay so why are guys trying to ruin my relationship just a few hours after I nearly died in a fire?" "Dude chill, we just came to check up on you guys. Lola and Quinn were going crazy about you Zoey." Michael responded. She started "Do they know I'm okay." He nodded "Yeah but they're eager to see you and you too Chase." "Alright we're coming." Zoey said. Michael grinned "Sure you're done making out." Chase rolled his eyes whilst Zoey smacked him across the head. He cringed and rubbed his head "Hey! What was that for?!" "That made you sound like Logan. Don't turn into him you're actually a nice guy." Michael thought for a moment then smiled "Hey thanks." Logan frowned "Hey I'm not as mean as I was." Chase thought for a moment "You know he's right. He's been acting nicer since I got back from Covington and he's been nice since everyone, you know, disappeared."

Zoey and Michael frowned as they realized the truth in his statement. "Yeah actually he's right. You have been nicer recently." Zoey frowned "Yeah you were actually kind when I left for Covington. When I got back you were back to your old obnoxious self. Then recently you've been acting nicer, especially after the prom. "That's where you and I got together, remember Zoe?" Chase reminded her grinning. Michael rolled his eyes "Na I think she forgot dude…" He replied sarcastically. He shook his head fiercely "No she didn't." However he looked deeply concerned. Zoey laughed and took his hand. "Don't worry, I remember. How could I forget?" He grinned with relief, totally unaware that Michael had been joking. "Look can we just go to the lounge already?" He said irritably. The others grinned and they turned top leaver. Chase petted Elvis on his head "We'll be back soon Elvis." The little dog barked and wagged his tail. Then Zoey and Chase walked out with his arm draped over Zoey's shoulders. The two walked ahead, grinning and laughing as though totally carefree.

Michael and Logan watched them go "Man, I will never get how they do that!" "Do what?" Seem so happy and joyful even though Chase nearly died just like, two hours ago." Logan smirked, he understood as it was how he felt whenever he was with Quinn and he suspected it was how Lola felt when she was with Vince. Michael didn't understand because for now he didn't have a girlfriend. He had all of them as his close friends and he had his faithful horse but that was all.

Outside Pacific Coast Academy, gutted buildings were intertwined with trailing lianas and new trees sprouted in suburban gardens. Packs of feral dogs prowled the streets whilst rusting automobiles lined the roads and highways. Birds sailed above crumbling skyscrapers and weeds were tearing through cracks in the pavement. The city was falling into ruins whilst the flora and fauna were taking over.

"Alright man let's go." Michael said. Elvis barked and ran up to them. Michael patted the small dog "We'll be back soon Elvis." Logan switched off the light and they left, locking the door behind them. Elvis yelped then leaped up on the single bed, curled up and fell asleep. They hurried down the hallway to catch up to Zoey and Chase who were still walking ahead, holding hands and blissfully unaware of anything but each other. The storm had ceased and the skies were dark but clear and the moon cast a pale light across the campus, illuminating the buildings and grounds and providing a clear view of the rest of the city. Two wispy smoke columns still drifted into the air from the two wildfires still blazing. The others have died and the city resounded once more with grunts, growls, barking, howls and snorting as the animals moved back into the city streets and went about with their struggle for survival.

They passed the student lounge and Chase's eyes widened in surprise as he spotted the buckled doors "Wow, what happened there?" Logan shot Michael a knowing look and the teenager grinned sheepishly. "I-I might have had something to do with that…" "Oh my god! What did you do to it?" Zoey cried. "I was uh, riding on Winchester, and we kind of…." He trailed off and laughed nervously. Logan took over "He didn't bother to open them; he rode up and just crashed straight through the glass on the horse." Chase and Zoey both shot the sheepish teenager annoyed looks. "Dude, why?" Chase asked. Logan rolled his eyes and told them of Michael's prank after which they simply rolled their eyes. Chase sighed "So where's everyone else?" "Oh they went to Sushi Rox to go eat 'cause they were hungry. Me and Logan went to put Winchester in his stable." Michael explained. "Then we came to find you guys." Logan finished.

Zoey smiled "Aww, thanks guys." Logan snorted "Yeah right. We only did it because Lola and Quinn asked us to." Chase rolled his eyes "Whatever you say dude." Then they walked on and silence fell over the plaza. All that could be heard was the distant calls of animals and the wind whistling through the treetops. Then a second noise entered the crescendo; a slobbering, crunching noise. The noises sounded like bone crunching and chewing, as though something was eating. The noises were coming from across the electric fence, behind a thicket of bushes. The wind changed and brought the terrible odour of decaying meat.

The decaying carcass of an animal lay on its side. Millions of flies covered the carcass. Its bovine skull and set of curling horns were the only clue to its identity; this mauled carcass had once been a buffalo. The large mammal had wandered in from the countryside with millions of other buffalo that roamed the plains. Now with its body torn open it was barely recognizable. Then the vegetation nearby rustled and a monstrous figure crawled into view; a gigantic lizard. The creature had a long, sleek body covered in dense, shiny scales and supported by thick but squat legs ending in clawed feet. Its long, thick tail dragged along on the ground as it ambled towards the dead buffalo

Its jaws opened revealing rows of deadly, serrated teeth like steak knives. Its fiery orange eyes gazed back at them through slit-shaped pupils. Hissing, the creature walked up to the carcass, clamped its jaws onto a piece of flesh and jerked its head backwards, pulling away muscle before titling its whole head backwards and swallowing the meat whole. Then it issued a deep hiss before pulling off and swallowing another gobbet of flesh. This reptile was a komodo dragon The Komodo dragon, also known as the Komodo monitor, was a large species of lizard, the largest member of the monitor lizard family, it was the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 10 foot in rare cases and weighing up to around 70 kilograms found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Padar.

This individual however, had escaped from the city zoo. After spending years in artificial environment inside a concrete cell with rounded glass windows and being fed raw meat, it was finally free. All its life its predatory instinct was oppressed but a few hours after the power shut down, the starving lizard had dug under the gate of its enclosure, collapsing it, before wandering out of the reptile exhibit and out of the zoo and into the suburbs. Now it was thriving; the hot climate meant it could thrive and the nights were cool, but not cold. Plentiful vegetation brought in many large herbivores to hunt and by day, the dragon hunted deer, goats and other herbivores and by night it slept in an empty house. Its main competitors were the crocodiles that had swum up the Los Angeles River after escaping from another zoo in another city.

However its armor-plated skin and rows of deadly serrated teeth fended off any crocodile that slithered out of the water to attack it and most mammalian predators avoided it, even the bears, the wolves and the big cats. Occasionally, packs of feral dogs attacked it but soon they would retreat after one or two had been killed by its powerful bite or winded by its heavy flicking tail.

Their unusually large size was attributed to island gigantism, since no other carnivorous animals filled the niche on the islands where they lived. However the large size of komodo dragons was representative of a relict population of very large varanid lizards that once lived across Indonesia and Australia, most of which, along with other megafauna, gigantic prehistoric beasts, died out after the Pleistocene, the time period commonly known as the ice ages.

Suddenly deep hissing came from behind a nearby tree and another huge lizard entered the area. Opening its jaws; it unleashed a reptilian screech, clearly challenging the lizard feasting on the carcass. The second reptile raised its head and issued a deep throaty response. Suddenly the reptile's nostrils flared and it whipped its head around and stared straight at the bushes where the group had passed and it hissed.

The lizard shrieked and charged before colliding with the chain-link fence. The fence shuddered under the impact and thousands of volts of electricity coursed into the lizard's body. Shrieking in terror, the lizard thrashed about with agony as the electricity tore through its body. Its lashing tail struck the second lizard which hissed and snapped then stood watching. The lizard's convulsing ceased and it collapsed in a heap. Its body twitched several times then it lay still. Smoke drifted off its scorched body. The reptile was dead. The second lizard then wandered over to the dead buffalo and began to feast. A life and death battle had just occurred and yet, less than a metre away, oblivious to the horrific scene that had played out less than a metre away

However, the animals that lived on campus sensed what had just occurred. Elvis awoke as his sensitive nose caught the scent. The dog leapt onto the floor, yapped and pawed at the door, agitated by the scent. Winchester shifted in his remodeled garage. The horse snorted and rustled the straw with his legs. In Dustin's bedroom, Einstein lay asleep on the floor. The yellow labrador's ears twitched. The animal suddenly awoke with a soft growl and got up. The powerful dog ran up to the window to investigate, placed his front paws on the windowsill and barked furiously at the glass several times with his long plumy tail waving. However, his thunderous barking went unheard. Suddenly the dog's ears pricked up as he heard a distant sound. He suddenly realized that much time had passed and his leader had not returned. Instinct kicked in and the canine turned away from the window and ran to the door. The dog barked and crashed into the locked door. The door shuddered but stayed firm. The animal barked, charging it again. Splinters of wood spun away from the hinges.

The powerful canine withdrew, panting from exertion, and barked loudly to attract attention but minutes passed and his barking went unnoticed, so he tensed his muscles for one last try and threw his weight against the weakened door. Finally, the door split and fell outwards with a thunderous crash; the dog tumbled out of the room and raced off down the hallway, barking loudly. No-one noticed the runaway dog sprinting down the hallway. Tongue lolling, he raced out of the dormitory and across campus headed for Sushi Rox.

Chase and Zoey entered the dining room, grinning and holding hands. Lola and Quinn ecstatically greeted their roommate, nearly knocking her down with their sweeping hugs. Then a rapid question and answer session followed after which they hugged Chase and expressed their joy that he had survived. He thanked them before greeting Vince with a simple high five. The simple gesture conveyed their friendship. Logan and Michael entered and the group sat to eat. Then Zoey glanced around the room and her smile dropped instead she frowned. Chase noticed her expression and squeezed her hand sympathetically. "What's wrong Zoe?" She turned and gazed at everyone sat at the table. "Has anyone seen Dustin?" She was met with frowns and head shakes. No-one had her brother since the morning.


	9. Quogan Quirks

**Chapter Eight: A love of gummy worms**

A moment of total silence passed in the restaurant as everyone thought furiously trying to recall whether they had seen Dustin since the previous day. However, one by one, they all realized that no-one had. He could have been anywhere on campus. Zoey was looking concerned. Chase suddenly realized everyone was looking at him. He frowned then Michael nodded to Zoey and wrapped his arms around himself. He raised an eyebrow then realized what his friend was miming. He was Zoey's boyfriend and right now he had to reassure her as best as he could. Smiling, he turned and placed a hand on her shoulder "Don't worry Zoe. He's probably back in his dorm." He said reassuringly. However his stomach churned with worry. He thought of Dustin as a close friend too and would hate if the kid went missing or got injured and he thought of how it would affect Zoey…. He shook his head. _No, don't like that, Dustin is okay, he's just off kidding around._

"Yeah don't worry Zoe. He's probably off playing on his laptop or something." Michael said. "Then why hasn't he come to find us. Dustin acts like all other kids his age. He's hungry near all the time. And he hasn't eaten all day. Why hasn't he come to get food?" She asked anxiously, looking around at her friends.

Chase floundered, he was still thinking of a response when Logan pointed to her and spoke up "Maybe he came when we weren't here, took some stuff and went back to his room to eat it?" He suggested. Everyone grinned at the teenager's quick thinking and Quinn nodded "He's right. After all he could easily have gone during the thunderstorm when we were all inside." "Ok but why hasn't he come to see me or any of us? What is there for him to do in his room that could keep him busy all day? His room-mates are gone; he can't use his cellphone or his computer for very long because it'll strain the power grid. He doesn't read books; he's not a fan of reading unlike me. What else is there for him to do?" She asked.

She sighed and laid her head on her hands. Ordinarily, Dustin's lack of whereabouts wouldn't be a problem because there would be all the other people so finding him would have been virtually impossible and he would have had a strict schedule to follow with classes and homework to complete and there would be his friends he could have been with, in particular his closest friend Jack, the two had been best friends and frequently did homework or spent time together. Out of all his friends, Dustin had told her he would miss Jack the most.

She had hugged him to cheer him up and thought sadly of all her friends, peers and teachers she liked who she too would likely never see again. But now spotting or hearing him should have been easy in this empty and quiet school campus. Plus without a schedule he should have come and found them by now without many other activities to keep him occupied.

Also, now life outside Pacific Coast Academy was dangerous. There was no electricity in any of the other buildings so no light to see by besides the natural light from the moon and no heating to use to keep warm on cold nights There was no way of cooking food and most food would be gone or rotting by now. Many buildings were death traps with slippery debris, sharp objects and loose wiring that could ignite. Plus, there were all the predators now roaming the city streets.

The downpour from earlier and the thunderstorm that had raged a few nights before had caused the river to flood and now large sections of the suburbs were underwater and reeds sprouted on the banks. Several crocodiles basked on the asphalt shore, scattered with soil, or swam in the tepid water and, without artificial light from electricity, the crocodiles would be almost impossible to spot. If Dustin were to venture beyond the campus even for a few minutes, he could get injured or be killed.

For a moment the group thought then Michael clicked his fingers "He's got Einstein!" Everyone looked at him in delight. They hadn't seen the spirited dog all day either. Dustin always kept him and enjoyed spending time with the lively canine. They both had boundless energy and a love of outdoor activities. He officially belonged to Quinn as she had named him and persuaded Logan to let her keep the dog but he seemed to spend most of the day out roaming with the kid. She didn't mind however and was glad to see Dustin had overcome his fear of dogs. Zoey raised her head and a look of hope crossed her face.

"Has anyone seen the dog?" Everyone delightedly shook their heads and finally she smiled. Chase gladly took over "Yeah and if he has the dog with him he'll be busy all day. I mean there's a whole montage of activities you can do with a dog." He said fondly, thinking of Elvis. Zoey looked at him and smiled. He responded with his trademark grin, feeling delighted that he had cheered her up.

Suddenly the double doors burst open and a yellow blur exploded into the room, racing towards them. The blur was Einstein. The dog bounded right up to their table and stopped beside Zoey, waving his plumy tail. For a moment they all just looked at him in surprise. The canine's appearance showed that he was not with Dustin as they had thought and that the boy was still missing. Everyone looked to Zoey as her smile dropped and her face fell like a deflating rubber balloon. The animal barked furiously at their lack of response, shaking them from their reverie.

He moved closer to Zoey and barked to gain her attention. She turned away, seeking a moment of privacy. "Zoe, are you ok?" Chase asked. She did not reply. Einstein barked again, waving his tail. Quinn grabbed the labrador's collar to restrain him. "Einstein, stay." She told him quietly. The collar had already been on the animal when they found him and Quinn didn't see any good reason to remove it so they left it on.

Chase stood up determinedly. "Where are you going?" Logan asked. "I'm going to find him. You coming Zoe?" She nodded as her features hardened with determination and everyone else got up too to help. This would need a combined effort and he was Zoey's brother but all regarded him as a friend and were adamant they would find him. Quinn held onto Einstein's collar and led him along. "Uh Quinn, can I ask you something?" Lola asked "Yeah?" "Why are you bringing the dog?" "His sensitive nose will help us track Dustin in the darkness using his scent. " Chase turned and nodded "That's a good idea." Logan grinned "That's my girl." They kissed. They left the building and Logan switched off the lights in order to avoid straining the power supply from the wind turbines. Once out in the plaza, Zoey directed them, taking over her role as leader. Her worry from earlier had gone and a sense of drive and purpose had replaced it. Now she was focused to finding her brother. The others saw in her the qualities of a leader and so they followed her suggestions without hesitation as she knew Dustin better than any of them.

"Right we'll split up into teams to look. That way we'll cover more ground." Zoey said. "I'll go with Chase to search around here." Chase nodded "Logan and Quinn will search the playing fields and the tennis courts. Vince and Lola, you two look in all the building on campus. Michael you search near the café and around the storage sheds." Michael lifted his hand "Uh, I have a question?" "Is it intelligent?" Logan sneered. Michael scowled at him "Alright dude. What's your question?" Chase asked. "Can I search with Winchester?" Zoey rolled her eyes "Why?!" "By using the horse I could cover ground faster than you guys could on foot." The teenager argued. Chase thought for a moment then nodded "That's actually a really good idea. Good thinking man." He high-fived Michael who turned and grinned triumphantly at Logan "See, it was an intelligent idea!" Logan rolled his eyes.

He also was concerned about Dustin; when the group split up he had always paired with Dustin as he was the only one without a partner except for Dustin, as such, he and Dustin had formed a close friendship and he felt just as adamant to find him and bring him back. Lola and Vince headed off to the buildings whilst Logan and Quinn turned to go to the sport fields. Chase grabbed Einstein's collar and held the excited dog whilst he turned to Zoey.

Michael gave the pair a salute "Good luck guys." They both nodded, then the teenager turned his horse around and slapped the reigns. "Giddy up!" Winchester reared, snorting then they cantered away. Zoey watched the horse thundering away, hoping against hope that they'd find her brother. Chase took her hand gently and she turned to him. He was watching her with a cool yet determined look in his rich green eyes. "We're gonna find him Zoe." He said quietly. She nodded and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"I know. Let's go." Chase nodded then looked down at Einstein "Ready boy?" The dog barked loudly. "Go find Dustin!" The dog set off, pressing his nose to the ground and sniffing intently. The pair followed the Labrador retriever, hand in hand and hoped he would lead them to Zoey's brother.

As they walked, Chase tried to think of a way to lighten the mood. "You know he might just be goofing off somewhere right?" "I know but then why hasn't he come back?" "Maybe he's playing a trick on us?" He suggested. "Dustin is scared of the dark. If he was trying to pull off some practical joke he'd give up when it got dark trust me." "Maybe he got over his fear?" She looked at him "How?" "Well, uh, he got over his fear of animals so maybe he's gotten over his fear of the dark?" Chase knew his argument was lame but he was trying to help.

Suddenly the dog raised his head and began barking. Zoey and Chase quickly ran over to the dog. "Did you find Dustin?" Zoey asked excitedly. The labrador barked and the pair shared delighted looks "Take us to Dustin boy." Chase told the animal, ruffling the fur atop his head. Einstein barked and bolted away. "Wait for us!" Zoey yelled. Chase grabbed her hand and they sprinted after the canine.

After five minutes of hard sprinting, they crested a hill and came upon Einstein pawing frantically through an upturned garbage can and chewing on an old bone. The dog turned to them, barking enthusiastically. Zoey's face fell then her expression darkened. She stormed over to the dog, grabbed his collar and pulled him away from the mess "What are you doing! We told you to look for Dustin, not to rummage in the trash!" She shouted angrily. The dog's ears dropped and he whimpered. She turned away and kicked the garbage can.

Chase came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders but she shrugged his hands off coldly. He sighed and opened his mouth to reassure her when Einstein let out a single loud bark and ran off ahead. He turned to get the dog back but then turned to Zoey. If he went after the animal now it would seem that he thought the dog was more important than supporting her. However, losing the dog was not an option either. "Uh Zoey?" He said hesitantly, not wanting to be at the receiving of her feisty fury.

Finally Zoey turned to him and saw the hesitation in his eyes, smiled slightly at his thoughtfulness and rolled her eyes. "Well we'd better go after him." He smiled slightly and they went after Einstein. They caught sight of the canine standing on the path up ahead waiting with tail waving. They headed over then to him, then the dog barked and headed into the building opposite. They frowned "Einstein, come back!" Zoey called. Chase whistled. The dog barked back but stayed in the building. They exchanged a puzzled look and followed him into the pitch-black building. Once inside, Chase felt along the wall until he found the light switch and turned the lights on, illuminating the room.

Einstein was standing over a prone figure, sniffing him then looked to the pair with his tongue lolling out triumphantly. Zoey's eyes lit up as he recognized the person sprawled on the floor "Dustin!" She ran over and crouched down beside his brother. Chase squatted beside her. "Is that your brother?" "Yeah is it!" For a moment her breath stopped as she realized he was unresponsive then relaxed as she realized was just asleep. Einstein barked loudly at them, startling them. They turned to the lively dog that stood off to the side looking expectant. Zoey grinned and threw her arms around the canine.

"Thank you Einstein! Thank you so much! You're such a great dog!" She stroked his fur and the labrador barked happily. Laughing, she let Chase took over as he fussed over the powerful canine, stroking him and telling him he was a good dog. Then she turned back to her brother and gently shook him "Dustin! Dustin, wake up!" His eyes fluttered open and he sat up, groaning. "Ugggh. Where am I?" Zoey looked around and recognized where they were "You're in the drama studio! What are you doing here?!" "I came here to sit for a while." "For how long?!" "Like a while…" He was tired and puzzled. He didn't understand why his sister was so frantic.

"Dustin you've been gone all day!" That statement caught his attention. He sat upright in surprise "Wait? What?!" "It's true! Everyone is out looking for you!" His eyes widened and he looked off to the side "Man, how many gummy worms did I eat?" Zoey frowned "What do you mean gummy worms?" "Uh, I think he means this." She turned to the source of the voice. Chase was standing, holding an empty glass jar in his hands, examining it. "Oh hey Chase." "Hey Dustin, it's good to see you." "You too man." "What's that?" Zoey took the jay from Chase and noticed a worn paper label stuck on one side. The label read "EXTRA YUMMY GUMMY WORMS" She rolled her eyes and turned to Dustin "How many were in this jar?" She demanded.

He hesitated "One hundred." He admitted. Zoey and Chase baulked. "And you ate them all?" Zoey exclaimed, looking shocked. "Yup." The boy announced. Chase grinned and shook his head "I'm proud of you little dude." He put up his hand and Dustin provided his hand in a high-five. "Chase! Don't encourage him!" Zoey chastised. Chase quickly pulled his hand away, not wanting to upset her. "Ok so you ate a ton of gummy worms then what happened?" She asked her brother. He thought for a moment then replied "Well my stomach started really hurting so I lay down for a bit. I must have fallen asleep. I woke up in the afternoon but Einstein was here at my side and I went to sleep again. Then I woke up with you guys here."

Zoey rolled her eyes, immensely relieved her brother was safe and uninjured but annoyed at his stupidity. Her mind was torn between hugging him or shouting at him for his idiotic behaviour. Chase, Dustin and even Einstein were watching her carefully. At last she pulled her brother close and hugged him tightly. She struggled in her embrace "Zoey! Let go!" At last she let go and turned to him "Next time you eat gummy worms you ration yourself. Do you understand me?" He nodded "And if you stomach hurts, just go and see Quinn. She probably has some remedy for you." Chase joked.

They both smiled then Zoey's eyes widened "We have to call the others. Chase we have to tell them we found Dustin." Chase nodded, reached into his back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his cellphone. He flipped it open, dialed a number and held it to his ear. "Who are you calling?" Dustin asked.

"I'm calling Michael 'cause I know his number by heart plus he can spread the news faster with Winchester." "That's his horse right?" "Yup." "Michael, hey dude. Listen, we found Dustin. Yeah he's fine. What? Look I'll tell you later just go around and tell the others ok? Ok bye." He ended the call and slid the phone back into his pocket.

Then Dustin's stomach growled. He groaned "Man I'm starved. You guys got any food?" Chase grinned "Nope sorry dude." "Well can we go to the cafeteria please? I'm starving." Zoey and Chase shared a look. Dustin didn't know about the fire on campus and the destruction of the cafeteria. "Should we tell him?" Chase whispered. Zoey hesitated then replied "I guess we have to. After all, it's not he's gonna miss the charred wreckage." She said sarcastically. Chase rolled his eyes and turned to Dustin who was frowning.

"What's going on?" "The cafeteria burned down." Chase stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Dustin's eyes widened "What? How?!" Zoey rolled her eyes "Chase was being stupid and set it on fire." "What! I was not being stupid!" He protested. "Then how did it catch fire?" Dustin asked. Chase explained "Well I was cooking and I turned on the gas but, by accident, I spilled oil onto the cooker and the cooker kind of exploded in a jet of flame…" He trailed off. Dustin thought for a moment "Yup you were being stupid. Zoey grinned. "So what happened then?" Dustin asked

"Michael and Logan saw the smoke cloud and Vince came to tell us while Logan and Michael went to the scene of the fire. The heat and smoke made it hard to go close but Michael and I knew we had to go inside and save Chase-""Wait, you were still inside?!" Dustin cut in. Chase nodded "Why didn't you get out?" "The blast from the cooker threw me against the wall and I blacked out." "Anyway," Zoey continued

"Then Elvis ran up and he went inside because he could track Chase from his smell and Michael went in after him. I knew I had to do something so I followed him inside. Everyone else was waiting further back and begging me and Michael not to go but we both knew we had to save Chase. So we went in. The heat was strong and the smoke made it hard to breathe. There was a lot of burnt wood and ceiling tiles 'cause the tables burned up and tiles were dropping off the ceiling from the heat, but we followed Elvis into the kitchen and found Chase but we was still out cold. We got him up and helped him out, but the roof was about to fall down because the pillars were crumbling under the heat. We followed Elvis outside just before the building collapsed." Dustin was listening agog and wide-eyed.

Finally he realized the story was finished. "I missed all that?!" Chase nodded "Yeah sorry dude." He thumped the floor in disappointment. Zoey and Chase exchanged amused looks as to how Dustin, like most boys at his age, found the concept of being involved in a dangerous situation exciting. Zoey looked to her watch. "Come on let's go. The others are probably waiting for us." They all stood up. Chase grabbed Zoey's hand and they smiled adoringly at each other. Dustin rolled his eyes and turned to the panting canine standing beside him. "They make me wanna puke sometimes, you know that boy?" The dog barked at him and waved his plumy tail. Zoey turned to the pair "Dustin, come on." He trudged after the pair, the labrador trotted after him and the group left the drama studio.

Michael grinned delightedly as the great black stallion pounded over campus. They had found Dustin and it was his job to spread the news. He suddenly caught sight of Lola and Vince walking across the path ahead. He cracked the reigns and the horse sped up. As they approached, the pair turned and Michael pulled the reigns. Winchester snorted and halted. "Michael? What happened?" Vince asked. "They found Dustin!" "Wait who found him?" Lola asked. "Zoey and Chase!" "That's great!" "I know." "Well where are they now?" "They're heading back to Sushi Rox I think. You guys go I gotta go find Logan and Quinn." "Alright see you there man." Vince said. The teenager nodded, turned the stallion around and called out "Let's go!" The horse tossed his head and thundered away. "I can't believe they found him!" "I know. Man, I'm so hungry." "Oh come on. There'll be food at Sushi Rox." Lola said. Vince nodded, took her hand and they headed back towards the centre of campus.

"Quinn, come down. He's clearly not there!" Logan called. He was cold and tired. They had been searching for nearly twenty minutes and there was no sign of Dustin. He did want to keep looking but in a different place. For the past five minutes, Quinn was standing atop the crest of a slight hill, gazing out across the tennis courts and the football field with her special binoculars, also known as "Quinnoculars" whilst he leaned against a tree.

She turned to him "You never know!" "We've been looking here for the past five minutes! If he was here I think we'd have found him by now!" "Oh just, sit tight!" She called back. He sighed then he heard the sound of pounding hooves. He turned to see Michael's great horse galloping towards them. Michael rode atop the horse, waving to them. "Hey Quinn, Michael's here! I think he has news!"

She turned and climbed off the hill as Winchester galloped up; Michael slid off the animal and grinned. "Hey guys. What's up?" "Do you have news about Dustin or not?" Quinn demanded. "Yeah, we found him!" "Really, who found him?" "Zoey and Chase did." Logan rolled his eyes "Figures, so I just wasted twenty minutes of my time."

Michael punched him on the arm. "Dude! What was that for?!" "That was for being a jerk again." He said shortly. He looked to Quinn for support but she shot him a disapproving look. He sighed "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." "That's better." She smiled and they kissed, it was sweet and brief but full of passion. Michael rolled his eyes and got onto his horse. "Well I'll see you guys later."

He shook the reigns and Winchester snorted before galloping away. He looked back; the pair hadn't even noticed his departure. They were wrapped up in each other and still lip locked. Sighing, he looked to his trusty steed. "Man why do I always end up in these situations?" The horse merely neighed. The teenager smiled "At least I'll always have you Winchester." He stroked the horse's mane as they thundered across campus towards Winchester's stall.

Logan and Quinn were unaware of anything but each other. They hadn't had much contact in the past few days after being preoccupied with more pressing matters such as Chase and Zoey's relationship problems, the cafeteria explosion, the fire on campus and lastly Dustin's mysterious disappearance. Their kiss deepened and Quinn wrapped her arms his neck whilst he placed his hand carefully on her torso. They pulled apart and gazed deeply into each other's eyes.

Suddenly, they heard a low thudding that soon took on a regular rhythm. They paused and glanced around, trying to spot the unseen intruder. Then an elephant lumbered past on the opposite side of the electrified chain link fence topped with barbed wire loops. The beast paused, turned to them and emitted an ear-splitting trumpet through its trunk. Its ears flapped lazily and its tusks caught the moonlight, glinting like blades. For a moment they forgot about the towering wire fence, buzzing with electricity and froze in terror. Then a wolf howled ominously in the distance so the pachyderm turned away and faded into the inky blackness.

Then it was gone and the brief moment of alarm faded. The pair glanced at one another and laughed at their own silliness for forgetting the 12 foot high electrified fence. Amongst all the drama they had forgotten that the real dangers lay beyond the campus. Outside Pacific Coast Academy, escaped zoo animals could roam freely. There were other dangerous animals such as the packs of wild dogs.

Logan took her hand and his touch sent shivers of warmth through her "Come on, the others are probably waiting for us." They headed off, chatting. "I can't believe you were scared of that elephant." "What? I wasn't scared!" He scoffed. She rolled her eyes "I felt you shaking you know." He hesitated then shot back "What about you? You're the scientist! How could you forget about the giant fence buzzing with electricity?" She laughed and he grinned back. They both knew this wasn't a real argument just playful banter. They headed off into the banter, laughing and taking turns to "argue" with each other.

They soon arrived back at the student lounge. Zoey and Chase were sat around the central table, talking and laughing. Lola and Vince were sat at a raised table slightly further away playing a game of Foosball. Dustin sat on the couch, stroking Elvis who was lying on his lap. Einstein ran up to them, waving his tail. Quinn laughed and patted the canine "Hey there Einstein!" The dog yelped. Chase turned at the dog's barking and waved "Hey Logan, Quinn. Come sit down!" They nodded and sat, Logan beside Chase whilst Quinn took a seat beside Zoey. Einstein lay at Chase's feet, who bent down and ruffled the dog's fur.

"What you guys doing?" Quinn asked "Playing our favourite game, Would You Rather." "Man that game's lame!" "It's not lame." Chase defended. "Yeah it is! You guys usually come up with scenarios that could never happen!" Logan shot back. "We're living in a scenario we never thought could happen." "What do you mean?" "Think about it before it actually happened, did you ever think that all the people in the world except for us would inexplicably vanish into thin air and leave no traces of themselves?"

"No I guess not." "And did you ever think it would happen so suddenly that cars would still be left in motion and airplanes would be left flying?" "No, I, I guess not." "Exactly! That means if this scenario can happen, any one of our scenarios could happen to anyone at any time so ha!" Zoey finished triumphantly. Logan rolled his eyes at being proven wrong and grumbled. Chase grinned at him "You got beat man." "Oh shut up." He grumbled. Quinn laughed "Don't worry I still love you baby." He smiled at her and they kissed.

Dustin called from across the room "Could you guys quit it? It's making me feel ill!" Logan shot back "Just because you've never been kissed!" "I have too!" "Oh yeah by who?" "Okay, okay I do not wanna hear who my younger brother's been kissing. "No, no I'm interested." At this the boy hesitated and before Logan could pick on him again, Chase stepped in "Okay kid. Just let 'em kiss!" "No it's weird! Plus I don't think the dogs like it!" "Oh yeah right!" Then Einstein sat upright and barked, tail waving furiously. Elvis also leapt onto the floor and yapped energetically. Dustin smiled triumphantly "See?" "Oh come on that's just coincidence! They probably smelt food or something!" "Okay!" Zoey cut in "Can we please get back to the game?"

Reluctantly, the teenager turned away and Dustin coaxed Elvis back up on the couch. "Okay Zoey, would you rather, make out with a hobo or take a bath in snot?" She thought for a moment "Take a bath in snot definitely "Why?" Logan asked. "See, if I bathe in snot, I can clean it all off and it's done. If I make out with a hobo, it'll always stay in my mind plus I'm not kissing a hobo!" "Fair enough." "Yeah you got me for that." Chase said. Zoey rolled her eyes but leaned over and pecked him on the lips. His face lit up and Dustin cringed. "Okay, Zoey I got one for you." Quinn said. "Shoot." "Would you rather, try to cryogenically freeze yourself for a century or try to clone an extinct animal?" Everyone looked at her but she ignored them. "Okay that's a tough one." Chase said

"No it's not. I'd clone an extinct animal." She replied without hesitation. "Okay why?" "If I cryogenically freeze myself for a century I'll most likely die, plus if I survive I'll wake up in a world where everyone I know is dead and, unless the rest of the human race returns while I'm frozen, I'll be alone on a planet ruled by animals, plants and birds. And I'm pretty sure by then most signs of civilization will be wiped out too" Everyone thought for a moment then realized she was right. Okay, Chase would you rather, wrestle a lion or, paint your hands with tomato ketchup?" "That's easy. I'd paint my hands with ketchup. I'd not gonna fight a lion!"

"Duh Logan" "Ooh, I'm Zoey and I use logic!" He exclaimed degradingly. "Logan, leave Zoey alone." "What are you gonna do about it?" Chase scowled because he knew the teenager had a point. He couldn't tackle him and wasn't quick-thinking enough to win the argument. "Yeah that's what I thought!" Suddenly, Elvis sprang up, growling in his throat at Logan. The teenager turned with surprise as the little dog's growl deepened as the animal tensed in preparation to defend his owner. "Ooh, you've made Elvis mad." Zoey warned "That dog doesn't scare me!" He boasted. The animal barked viciously and the curly-haired teenager started as he inched forward. "Alright, alright. You win, Chase, call him off!" "Elvis, come here buddy!" The dog relaxed and bounded over, lolling by Chase's feet. He bent down and stroked the terrier "You're a good dog Elvis!" "Yes, you're a good boy. Yes you are!" Zoey cooed, rubbing the dog's stomach affectionately.

Logan noticed Lola was fighting to hold in her laughter whilst Vince and Michael had already fallen about laughing. Even Dustin was grinning "|It's not funny!" That dog could have killed me!" "Logey, come on, he's like less than half as big as you are!" Quinn laughed. Finally, his temper blew "Fine! If I'm so pathetic then why are any of you my friends? I don't need any of you!" He jumped up and stormed out of the room, scowling darkly at his companions.

After Logan's outburst, the group sat in silent surprise for a few moments. His sudden temper had surprised them all. They had all poked fun at the teenager before, as he had frequently done to them, and he usually shrugged it off with a sneer and a counter-insult. The unexpected reaction to their teasing left them wondering what had changed to trigger such a violent response "My, my, at least he doesn't exaggerate about his temper!" Michael joked. Instantly, the tension dissolved and everyone smirked. A few snickers of laughter rippled through the room.

Quinn scowled and slapped him across the head "Can't you ever be serious?!" she cried. The teenager shouted and clutched his head before shooting the young genius a bewildered look. "What was that for?!" However, she instantly changed her posture and looked away. "Quinn?" Chase said hesitantly. "What?" "Why did you hit Michael?" "My reason doesn't matter" "Yes it does!" Michael insisted. She shot him a murderous glare and the teenager flinched, raising his arms in a protective gesture. However, she sighed and turned away "Quinn, tell us why you hit Michael." "Why Zoey? Why does it matter?" "Just tell us" "I hit him f-for an experiment." Everyone instantly knew she was lying. Lola took over.

"Alright Quinn, what's the real reason? "Why do you care?" "We care because we're your friends and we can tell this is bothering you. Now tell us why you got mad at Michael." At last, she exhaled noisily and turned to face them. "Since I started dating Logan, I've learnt some things about him. Things that you guys don't know. Not even you two." She now spoke directly to Chase and Michael. The bushy-haired teenager and his friend exchanged puzzled looks. "What we don't know about Logan isn't worth knowing. Trust me." Chase told her. Michael nodded. "You're wrong, I know things about him. I've seen a side to him that he never shows around you guys." "We know how Logan acts around girls." Dustin added. The girl with the glasses turned to him. "That's where you wrong. Logan acts that way when he's with you guys, his roommates, but when it's just me and him, it's like he's a totally different person."

"Well, how?" Michael asked, frowning. "Well let's see. You all think Logan is rude, uncaring and harsh right?" Everyone looked around and there were several nods. "Well when he's around me he acts exactly opposite. He's polite, sweet and kind, at least most of the time." "Ok, that makes no sense" Michael said. Vince shook his head "No it's possible. People can change, I mean look at me." Lola smiled and batted her eyelashes at him. "I know you would. I always believed." Vince smirked back. "Guys come on!" Zoey cut into their romantic banter "Can we please focus?" They both nodded sullenly but turned back to the others "Yeah but that makes sense. You had a year to change and you changed totally. In the past, you were a jerk. Now, you're cool." Chase explained bluntly. Vince flinched but accepted, knowing that the bushy haired teenager's comments were true.

"But according to Quinn, Logan has two sides. He's got a split personality and how he acts around us is exactly the opposite to how he acts around her. But how can that be possible? One person can't act like two different people at separate times without mixing it up sometimes." Then Zoey's eyes lit up and she clicked her fingers. "But he has been mixing it up!" The clumsy teenager looked to his girlfriend blankly "Huh?" "Well since he started dating Quinn, Logan's been nicer to all of us. I mean think about it. When was the last time Logan was actually cruel to any of us?"

Silence reigned for several moments as the adolescents mulled over the thought. Then eyes widened and jaws dropped open as realization hit each of them. Zoey was right. None of them could remember the last time Logan had viciously insulted any of them. "Wait, so you're saying that Logan's changed and now he's a different guy?" Michael asked. Zoey shook her head "Well yes but its unintentional. He genuinely loves Quinn, not like any of the other girls he hit on, and he's willing to change at least he will for her. But he doesn't want us to see him like that so in front of us he's trying to stay as mean old Logan. But he can't always manage it and sometimes he acts nice, even with us."

"So basically he's doing it without meaning it?" Dustin asked. His older sister nodded "Exactly Dustin." The boy looked pleased with himself. "I still don't see how this explains why Quinn hit me?" Michael asked. He still looked puzzled. At last, Quinn spoke up. "Logan's used to you guys teasing him but he never thought I'd do it. We had a pact once we got together that we'd never insult each other even if we were joking, not even if you guys were all doing it, to avoid hurting one another." "But you broke that pact." Chase finished for her. The group's eyes widened as realization struck them. She sighed "I know, don't remind me. Then when Michael joked about it, I guess I kind of lost my temper I guess I'm sorry Michael."

The teenager merely shrugged "It's cool Quinn." He said casually. Chase grinned at his friend's laidback response. One of the reasons he and Michael were such close friends was that they rarely held grudges against anyone and if they did, they would usually let their anger go fairly quickly.

"Come on Quinn, don't be so upset. I'm sure Logan won't mind, after all you only insulted him once and you can always say it was just payback for those times when he called you rude names. Your pact didn't cover those times did it?" "I guess not. "Exactly so it'll be fine!" She said enthusiastically.

"Quinn go talk to him." Lola encouraged her roommate. "What if he is mad? You guys don't understand." "Of course we understand. We're both in relationships as well remember?" Lola nodded cheerily and put an arm around Vince's shoulders. The blonde teenager then turned to her bushy haired boyfriend "Chase, do you mind if I insult you just to prove a pint?" "Uhh, I guess not?" She turned to him, pulled together a serious expression and spoke in as convincing a tone as she could "Chase, you're a bushy haired freak!" In spite of her realistic acting, Chase struggled to keep from laughing. Michael lost the battle and fell over laughing. Both teenagers turned to Quinn and attempted to keep straight faces despite the sheer stupidity of their role play.

The aspiring young scientists couldn't help but laugh and at last rolled her eyes "Alright, I'll go talk to him." She got up and left the room as the others looked on. Then Chase turned to Zoey "Wanna keep playing Would You Rather?" She smiled "Yeah sure." "Oooh, I wanna play!" "Me too don't forget me!" "I'll play too." Dustin, Lola and Vince scrambled over and sat around the couple. "Okay, Dustin would you rather, eat only gummy worms for the rest of your life, or, spend a night in the city on your own?" Chase asked. "I'd eat the gummy worms." He frowned "Really? Why?"

"Well I love gummy worms and if I could eat only gummy worms it'd be like a dream come true but sleeping alone somewhere out in the city, with all those wild animals, would be horrifying." He explained in a matter of fact tone. Everyone was impressed by the depth of the boy's explanation. "But wouldn't eating only gummy worm sweets for the rest of your life, without ever trying other foods, be just as bad?" "Nope, I love gummy worms!" Dustin exclaimed. The others laughed and Chase rolled his eyes at the boy's persistence.

Quinn sighed as she stepped out of the lounge and set off across the grounds. As she walked, the electrified chain link fence ran alongside her all the way. She stepped closer to it and listened for a moment. The fence hummed with electricity and she continued on her way, feeling satisfied. As she walked, she caught sight of the city beyond and the spectacular view momentarily took her breath away. To her side, the ground sloped upwards, to where the chain link fence stood. She turned, scrambled up the slope and walked right up to the fence rattling in the night breeze. Her raised viewpoint provided her with an incredible view of the entire city beyond Pacific Coast Academy.

The city may have been vacated of humans, but the streets and suburbs still hummed with life. There were sounds everywhere. The night air resonated with the usual night chorus of insects trilling. Above that, dogs barked and wolves howled to one another. Occasionally, the deep roars of big cats and bears or an elephant's trumpet resounded through the darkness. But the young scientist paid no attention to the vocal creatures. Her attention was focused purely on the view before her. . The chalky white moon illuminated the path and the surrounding buildings in a spectacular light. There was no longer any light pollution from lights in the buildings. The lampposts were dark. Traffic lights on the streets no longer worked without electricity. Car lights no longer shone, all the city's automobiles were sitting silent or had crashed long ago and lay as twisted wrecks. This mean the moon's pale light and the distant stars provided the only light to see by.

The distant stars populated the endless expanse of inky black sky. Distant pinpricks of light that glittered and glinted like millions of tiny diamonds. Meanwhile, the moon hung in the black expanse like some great guardian watching over the world, and its light illuminated the city, bathing the buildings and streets in a soft white hue, something that no electric light could ever accomplish. The light was so powerful; Quinn could even spot tiny animals milling about in a park several miles away. The breathtaking natural beauty both captivated and enthralled her. Her mind flicked back to Logan, sulking in a dark building somewhere or stuck in a building with normal lights powered by electricity. She had to share this with him. She turned and slid down the slope. The wet grass soaked her jeans but she couldn't care less. She got up, brushed the grass off her jeans and took off running to find her partner.

Logan sighed to himself and held his head in his hands. He was sat in a swivel chair in front of the computer desk in the disorganized room he shared with his two long-time roommates, Chase and Michael. The lights were off but he didn't care. He just wanted to be alone so he could sulk in silence. He'd humiliated himself in front of all his friends. He kept up a hard reputation and was at times, merciless in how he treated and spoke to others. In truth, he cared deeply about each of his friends and he'd be deeply upset if anything happened to each of them. There had been times, when his friends saw his other side.

When Chase was lost as the cafeteria went up in flames, he'd been distraught at the thought of losing one of his closest friends. He'd been in shock when Michael and Zoey also seemed to give themselves to the inferno, losing three of his friends would be too much to bear. When they realized Dustin was missing, he'd panicked as he'd come to see the boy as a close friend despite his cruel treatment of the boy in the past. But in truth, small things scared him. Even little dogs snapping were enough to startle him. He'd tried to maintain his bravado but his fear took over despite knowing deep down that his bushy haired roommate would never allow the animal in his care to bite him.

He could take being teased by his friends but not by Quinn. He loved her, he truly did. The other teenager girls he'd dated were merely for bragging rights. He had only experienced true feelings for them on a few occasions. But they had turned out to be female versions of him who had merely gone out with him to talk to their friends about him. Quinn was different. She was amazing. She had morals and values and chose intellectual superiority over social status which, ultimately, would mean far more to her in the future. There were certain things she would never do, no matter what the reward, if it meant going against her values. She would never have kissed or gone out with another boy when she was dating Mark because she believed infidelity was morally wrong. He still remembered the time when she refused a week's worth of free coffees due to the coffee cart manager's condition of a kiss for each coffee because at the time she had been in a relationship with Mark. She refused to use her scientific understand for conflict and violence. She had initially even refused Zoey's request to build them a sufficient fighting robot so they could tackle Firewire and his creepy nerd buddies with their ultra-powerful war robot.

But they had made a pact. And she had broken it. He'd never been so wounded in all his life. He'd get over it, he just needed time. He wasn't going to lose her over a stupid pact. But for now, his hurt and his anger had taken over and he couldn't bear to be in the same place as her. He'd trusted her and she had severed their trust. Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. He instinctively knew who was outside. "Leave me alone!" He snapped. "No problem dude but uh, can I come in?" The voice belonged to Chase. The curly haired teenager rolled his eyes "Whatever." The door opened up and the bushy haired boy stepped in. He cast him a look but the sports enthusiast glowered back, making his mood clear. The other teenager shrugged, grabbed a torch off the desk then turned to leave. Finally, his curiosity aroused, he spoke "What are you doing?" The teenager turned "Well, uh, we figured you might want some time alone so me and Michael we're gonna crash in Vince's room for the night."

The curly haired sports enthusiast rolled his eyes. He'd been here moping in his room whilst his roommates had been thinking about how to help him. "No don't. I'm fine. You guys can stay here." Chase hesitated "You sure?" He nodded "Yeah whatever." "Well ok cool." With that, the bushy haired teenager exited and shut the door. Sighing, Logan got to his feet just as another knock sounded quietly at the door "Yes Michael you can stay here." He replied. "Logan, can I come in?" The voice spoke so quiet it was nearly inaudible but he recognized the speaker instantly and froze. Quinn.

A million different thoughts raced through him. What did she want? Why was she here? Had she come to talk? Or was she coming to say she wanted to end their relationship? No! He couldn't lose her. The voice spoke again "Logan, I know you're in here. Chase told me. I just want to talk to you." She wanted to talk; maybe he could still salvage their relationship. But wait, he didn't want to seem too desperate. He had to play it casual. "Yeah whatever" The door opened and she walked in before hesitantly sitting on the messy single bed. "Yeah? Let's talk." "Listen, when I laughed back there I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry." He was caught off guard. She sounded genuinely upset, her voice was trembling and she sounded sad but not in the way that someone sounds when delivering bad news. She was looking at him expectantly for a reply "Well, uh, ok?" "Listen, there's another thing. I told Zoey and the others about your split personality…" He shot forwards and shouted "What?! "I'm sorry! They wanted to help me and I had to tell them!" He was shocked; first she'd violated their pact now she'd told the others about what he was really like! His reputation was ruined! He couldn't believe she would do this to him!

"So first you ruin my reputation, now you're going to break up with me?!" He yelled. Now he was furious. She was looking up at him in confusion "Don't look at me like that! I can't believe you'd do this to me Quinn!" His voice cracked at the end as grief threatened to overwhelm him. "What? You thought I wanted to break up with you?!" He paused. She sounded incredulous "Well, yeah, I mean don't you?" She nearly doubled over laughing. She reached over and grabbed his hand "I thought you wanted to break up with me." "What! That's crazy! Why would you think that!?" "Because of the pact, I broke it, and I thought you wouldn't want me anymore." Her voice dropped as she muttered the last part but he heard her clearly and felt astonished. She thought he was done with her?! And he'd been sitting here, beating himself up, and worrying over whether begging her to give him another chance would work.

He realized she was looking down at the carpet, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. His feelings surged and he leaned forwards before grabbing her hand. She looked up, eyes widening. He spoke gently "Listen, there's no way I was ever gonna let some pact get between us. The truth is I've been sitting here in the dark sulking because I thought I'd made a fool of myself in front of you and that you would lose respect for me." She gazed at him with shock written across her face. She gazed deeply into his eyes and saw a storm of emotions; passion, hope and love. Her lips curved into a smile

"We're pretty aren't we?" She said softly. He visibly relaxed and laughed shortly "Well I am but what about you? Young scientist like you, Quinn Pensky?" She laughed then their eyes locked and they involuntarily leaned towards each other. Their lips touched and all their passion and love poured in. The kiss deepened. Their arms intertwined and they fell back onto the bed, still joined at the lips. Before long, they were lost in a haze of passion…

Chase and Michael strode down the hallway, talking animatedly and laughing. Earlier, Lola and Vince had pulled away from the others for a quick kiss. Sitting in inflatable cushy beanbags, their lips touched. They seemed either oblivious or unconcerned by the fact that their friends were watching with a mix of horror, pride and surprise. Zoey looked on with pride; she thought of Quinn and Lola like sisters and was pleased that they found stable relationships, even if both were with unlikely partners. Chase couldn't believe that two people could kiss so passionately or produce such sounds. Dustin was both entranced and repulsed. The thought of engaging in similar activities' with a girl in the future both disgusted and captivated him. The boy had unfortunately that he and the others were undoubtedly the only humans left in the city and possibly the only humans left in existence on Earth.

However, the pair were sitting on mushy beanbags that rippled and shifted and as Vince leaned further forwards, Lola's beanbag closed up and the teenagers ended up in a tangle of limbs. The others doubled over laughing whilst the pair pulled themselves free. Vince displayed his gentleman-like manners and helped Lola to her feet before apologizing. The flustered teenager quickly brushed it off whilst Chase and Michael kept laughing.

The incident had dissolved their passion and the embarrassed pair had stumbled away, claiming they were tired. Soon afterwards, the group went their separate ways, still chuckling. Dustin had headed off to his dormitory with Einstein trotting faithfully after him. Zoey had told them both good-night, she and Chase shared a quick kiss, then she left. Michael then had had to literally pull a dazed Chase to their dormitory as Elvis ran after them.

Now they were nearly at their room. "Did you see the look on Vince's face? Classic!" "I know. Man I wish I'd thought of that!" "What, falling on top of a girl while you're kissing?" The bushy haired teenager was puzzled "No! Pranking someone when they're like that" He then cast Chase a sly look. He instantly shook his head" No. No way you're doing that to me and Zoey." "Not you! I'll do it to Logan and Quinn!" "Yeah, I don't think so." "What? Come on that'd be awesome!" "Come on they're had a rough time tonight. I mean maybe, they broke up?"

The bushy haired teenager didn't want to think about that scenario but it was a possibility. Michael too thought about it. The mood momentarily dropped. They had seen how close the pair truly were and knew a breakup would devastate them both. They had now approached and Chase moved to push the door open when Elvis darted between his jean-clad legs and growled at the door. The pair hesitated.

"What is it boy?" The pint-sized canine barked furiously, tail waving swiftly. "Maybe Logan's in trouble!" Chase turned to burst in when Michael grabbed his arm "What?" "Quiet, listen." He whispered. The bewildered teenager stopped for a moment. Michael touched Elvis' head and the canine fell silent. Then Chase's eyes widened as he heard what sounds Michael meant. Low moans were coming from the pine door followed by rustling and shuffling. The Pair exchanged joyful grins. "I guess he and Quinn made up after all." Chase stated. His friend grinned. "Well what do we do now?" "What do you mean?" "Well we go in while that's going on!" The teenager's eyes widened as realization hit him. The night was already well into its cycle and midnight was near. They had no idea when the pair would quit. "Where are we gonna sleep?"

Michael shrugged "No big deal. We'll just crash with Dustin or Vince." "What about our stuff?" "Leave it, it's only one night." Chase sighed' he was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. They weren't exactly comfortable clothes to fall asleep in but he had no choice "Alright." He sigh ed. "cheer up man. So, Dustin or Vince?" They thought back to the evening where they had laughed at Vince and taunted him mercilessly as he had left. They both cringed at the slim likelihood of him allowing them into his bedroom. The choice was obvious. "Looks like its Dustin." Chase stated. His friend nodded. "You got that right." The pair turned, the bushy-haired boy whistled to Elvis and pointed to the door "Elvis it's probably best if you stay with Logan." The dog's ears dropped and he wagged his stumpy tail. Chase sighed "Go on. Don't look at me like that." Michael crouched down and ruffled the canine's bushy fur "We'll catch you later." The animal finally turned, ran down the hallway then nudged the door open and trotted inside. The door swung shut behind him. The pair nodded and strode off down the hallway.

The sound of wood creaking cut through the haze of passion like a hot knife through butter. The teens sprang upright and looked up in alarm as the door opened and a scruffy little dog with a mixed colour coat appeared in the doorway and ran inside. Logan frowned at the creature "Elvis? What are you doing here?" The dog yelped in response, ran over to the bunk bed then gracefully leapt up onto Chase's bunk. The canine then lay down and curled up to sleep. The pair exchanged surprise glances then their passion returned and they fell back into the tangled sheets, locked at the lips.

Beyond Pacific Coast Academy, the night resounded with the vocalizations of animals whilst the stars glimmered in the vast inky blackness, ever silent and always watching.


End file.
